


Miscegenation

by julien (julie)



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-01-26
Updated: 2000-01-26
Packaged: 2020-12-17 13:22:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21055103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julie/pseuds/julien
Summary: Nathan asks for Ezra’s help on behalf of a friend who has lost a significant amount of money. Despite Ezra’s protests that he’s no latter-day Robin Hood, he becomes more and more deeply involved - not only in the ensuing adventure, but with Nathan himself - and when his mother returns to town, Ezra’s choices become starkly obvious. Can this old Southern boy finally out-grow the beliefs he was brought up with?





	Miscegenation

**Author's Note:**

> **Notes:** This story takes place sometime between the first season and the second. And I won an award for it, back in pre-Internet days, which I was very proud of - but damned if I can think of what the award was or where the details would be! 
> 
> **First published:** 26 January 2000 in my zine Westering Boundaries

# Miscegenation 

♦

## Part One

♦

Ezra Standish was enjoying the afternoon. He was sitting at the poker table in the saloon, sipping at a nip of the finest whisky this town could offer, and basking like a contented lizard in the golden rays that the sun poured through the nearby window. A fresh pack of cards sat on the green baize before him, issuing a crisp invitation to anyone who might want to entertain themselves by losing a few dollars to him. Life in this far-flung outpost of civilization could be very rewarding for a wily old Southern boy.

A man’s shadow loomed over him, and Ezra looked up with the welcoming and slightly calculating smile that the amateur gamblers expected from him. But it wasn’t a potential victim standing there – it was Nathan Jackson. Nathan, who shared Ezra’s Southern origins, but who was of a different hue and a different character altogether.

The two men regarded each other for a long moment. And then, ‘Ezra,’ said Nathan, ‘I need your help.’

Ezra slowly lifted a brow. ‘Really…’ Of the seven gunmen who had banded together to protect this town, Ezra knew that he and Nathan had the least reason to be friends. In fact, they had many reasons not to be friends at all. ‘And in what manner do you suppose I can help you, Mr. Jackson?’

‘I have a friend who lost all his money to a gambler in Bisbee. I was hoping you could win it back for him.’

‘Do I _look_ like a latter-day Robin Hood…?’

‘Ezra –’

‘I might do it,’ Ezra equably interrupted. ‘For a percentage of the proceeds.’

Nathan shook his head, apparently at his most earnest. ‘He says he needs every cent of that money.’

Dryly Ezra observed, ‘Then he shouldn’t have indulged in the sin of gambling.’

‘Don’t you think I’ve been telling him that? But he’s desperate; he won’t tell me why. Will you help?’

‘His name?’

‘Delmore Tye.’

‘And is he also a… colored gentleman?’

Despite Ezra’s most delicate and tactful tones, Nathan bristled. ‘Does that make a difference?’ He turned away, answering his own question. ‘I should have known better than to ask you.’

‘Don’t be so hasty, my friend. I am merely trying to ascertain the details of the situation. Who did he lose the money to?’

‘A man called Richard Hugget. Do you know him?’

Ezra laughed, and relaxed further back into his chair. ‘I’d heard he’d set up business nearby… It will be like taking candy from a baby. And I will be delighted to assist you, Mr. Jackson, in return for half the candy.’

Nathan glared down at him. ‘If you call that assistance, Ezra, you’re very much mistaken.’

‘Just exactly how much did your Mr. Tye lose…?’

‘Almost sixty dollars.’

Oh yes, this was going to be fun. ‘I assure you that Dick Hugget will manage to lose a great deal more than sixty dollars to me, and if Mr. Tye is willing to accept half the proceeds, I believe he will find himself somewhat ahead of his previous situation.’

A smile had dawned on Nathan’s face by the middle of this speech, and had widened to a happy grin by the end. ‘Thank you, Ezra.’

‘Please, say no more about it. I’ll ride over there tomorrow evening in my coat of Sherwood green… Just do me one favor –’

‘Anything I can.’

‘Don’t tell Mr. Tye about this until afterwards. I can do without his anxieties adding to mine beforehand; his effusions of gratitude will be enough to bear.’

Nathan shot him a wry look, but the smile never wavered. ‘You’ve got it.’ He nodded a farewell, and left the saloon.

Ezra poured himself another nip of whisky, then sank back further and rested his booted feet on the next chair along. Doing good deeds was never so sweet as when spiced up with a little well-deserved revenge.

♦

Accordingly, Ezra left town alone the following afternoon – and late that night began riding back again a wealthier man. He still had five miles to travel for home, though, when he heard two horses coming up behind him. Of course it was Hugget and one of the man’s new outlaw companions. Ezra continued on his way until the two men caught up with him and forced him to stop.

‘Well, good evening once more, Dick,’ Ezra drawled. ‘I thought I might have avoided the need for this little confrontation by leaving Bisbee, but it seems I underestimated how far I managed to pique your vanity.’

‘Running away, Standish? I always knew you for a coward.’ Hugget was an angry little weasel of a man, and his words were fighting words. There was no doubt that he’d brought this burly cowboy along to back him up.

‘On the contrary, my friend. I simply considered any further interaction with you as beneath my dignity.’

Scowling even more furiously, Hugget demanded, ‘Give me that money back.’

‘Your witty repartee has improved, I’m glad to hear.’

‘I mean it! Give it back or else!’

Ezra gave him nothing more than an extravagant sigh. ‘Dick, you disappoint me. It must be the bad influence of these cowboys you’ve befriended. Where is your honor? I won that money from you fairly, I assure you.’

‘And since when could anyone trust _you_, Standish?’

‘You might at least consider us even,’ Ezra said in the most reasonable tones. ‘Don’t you remember that night we first met seven years ago, when you cleaned me out? You needed a marked deck to do it, of course, and I could afford to lose the money – what I couldn’t afford was the loss of face. I had to leave a very promising little town after that game.’

‘No, I don’t consider us even,’ the man snarled. ‘I consider myself wronged!’

This was, apparently, the cue for guns to be brought into play. The three men were all well-armed, and fast on the draw – for a moment there was a genuine stand-off, with Hugget and the cowboy both aiming at Ezra, and the ambidextrous Ezra aiming a gun at each of them.

And then, much to everyone’s surprise, the cowboy suddenly groaned, clutched at his firing arm, and slid off his horse. In the confusion, it was easy enough for Ezra to get the drop on Hugget.

Nathan Jackson appeared out of the darkness, retrieved his knife from the cowboy’s arm, and began staunching the bleeding. ‘Evening, Ezra.’

‘What a pleasure to see you, my friend,’ Ezra declared in very satisfied tones. ‘You have a superb sense of timing.’ Turning to Hugget, he said, ‘You should probably take your compadre back home, don’t you think?’

Obviously feeling overmatched now that his partner was disabled, Hugget glared up at Ezra. ‘We’re not done, Standish.’

‘As you wish, Dick,’ Ezra airily replied.

Nathan and Hugget between them got the moaning cowboy back on his horse, and then Hugget led the man off into the darkness. Ezra called after him, ‘See you in another seven years, Dick!’ But he received no discernible reply. Ezra and Nathan listened for a while to be sure that Hugget wasn’t coming back for more, and then they turned away and began riding back to town.

‘And just how long have you been following me, Mr. Jackson?’

‘Since you left town this afternoon.’

‘My goodness,’ Ezra murmured, ‘I am becoming quite defenseless.’

‘I don’t believe that for a minute. I stayed a long way behind you; I knew where you were heading.’ Nathan’s broad smile was visible in the starlight. ‘So, did you recover Delmore’s sixty dollars? How much did you win?’

‘You don’t know? You weren’t spying on me?’

‘No!’ Nathan let out a laugh. ‘I wasn’t following you to check on what you were doing; I was concerned for your safety.’

Ezra tipped his hat in acknowledgment, and casually announced, ‘I won two hundred dollars.’

‘Only two hundred!’ Nathan ironically exclaimed.

‘Oh, I could have won more off that up-start little weasel, but when I’m only working half for myself, my motivation is reduced by half as well…’

The pair of them rode on in silence for a few miles. As the town’s lights appeared on the horizon, Nathan said, ‘You’ve got a long memory for a grudge, Ezra. Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you.’

‘I will indeed do so, Mr. Jackson, if ever I discover you shifting to such a position.’

Nathan smiled at him, though the smile seemed undermined by puzzlement. They parted with polite nods in the main street, and went their separate ways.

♦

‘I suggest we give your Mr. Tye the money in private,’ Ezra said to Nathan when they happened to meet at the restaurant the next morning.

‘Of course,’ Nathan nodded. ‘If anyone saw a black man being given a hundred dollars, they’d think him an easy mark.’

‘I was more concerned about myself,’ Ezra drawled. ‘I wouldn’t want to belatedly develop a reputation as a philanthropist.’

Nathan shot him that wry look again, and assured him, ‘Oh, there’s no fear of that, Ezra.’

After supper that evening, therefore, Ezra waited in his hotel room until he heard a knock at the door. When he called, ‘Enter,’ Nathan escorted his friend inside.

Ezra took the opportunity to examine Delmore Tye while Nathan explained the deal they’d made, obviously for the first time given the surprised reaction. Tye was a tall young man, with a handsome face, though his skin was even darker than Nathan’s; but the most striking thing about him was his regal bearing. It was almost as if, back in Africa, he’d have been a prince, a leader adored by his people. And he seemed quick-witted enough, following Nathan’s story with no confusion, hope drawing his gaze to Ezra’s early in the piece.

When Nathan was done, Ezra drew the money out of his coat pocket, and silently – note by note – placed it on the table. Twenty, forty, sixty. He paused, and glanced at Tye who was all weak-kneed relief. Eighty. One hundred.

To go from sixty dollars lost to a hundred dollars gained seemed almost more than Tye could comprehend at first. Then he spent a while struggling to find suitable words with which to thank Ezra. He spoke of gratitude and obligation, of generosity and friendship, of sin and redemption. At first Ezra drank it up, but soon he became a little bored. Delmore Tye was no poet.

‘That’s all right, Mr. Tye,’ Ezra broke in at last. ‘That’s quite all right. Please say nothing more about it. Just don’t go making the same mistake again.’

‘Begging your pardon, Mr. Standish, sir, but you make gambling seem a very profitable business.’

Ezra rolled his eyes heavenward. ‘Lord, I do detest amateurs.’

Nathan put an avuncular arm around the young man’s shoulders, and began walking him out. ‘Gambling only benefits the professionals,’ he earnestly advised, ‘and it can be the ruin of anyone else. Find another way to seek your fortune, Delmore.’

‘Thanks, Nathan,’ Tye murmured, leaning further into Nathan’s embrace, ‘I will. And thank _you_ once more, Mr. Standish!’ Then the young man was gone.

Nathan quietly closed the door after him, and wandered back towards Ezra with a broad grin on his good-natured face. ‘Well, well, Ezra. It seems there’s a human heart beating under that snakeskin of yours after all.’

‘If you say so, Mr. Jackson.’

‘Yeah, I do.’

Ezra bit back a reminder of his real motives: prudence and revenge. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t come through this with an extra hundred dollars of his own, and Dick Hugget shamed into the bargain. Instead, he said to Nathan, ‘You’ve been hanging around that old reformer too long.’

‘Josiah?’ Nathan’s smile grew affectionate at this mention of the former preacher, another one of their motley crew of seven gunmen. ‘I don’t think so.’

An unaccustomed and unwelcome envy swamped Ezra for a moment. Within the seven men, there were three pairs: Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner were friends, and had virtually become each other’s shadow; Buck Wilmington had taken young J.D. Dunne under his wing; Nathan and Josiah Sanchez, the earnest man and the spiritual, had partnered up. And then there was Ezra.

He turned away, wondering why this suddenly bothered him so. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t spent his entire life as a loner, and been happy about it. His situation and his profession didn’t allow for a partner, after all; it was far better to travel light and to trust no one.

‘Ezra? Is something the matter?’

‘No. No, not at all.’

But when he turned around, and found Nathan standing there so close, something even stronger and stranger swamped him.

Afterwards, Ezra was never entirely sure how or why it started in that moment. Maybe it happened because of the stab of jealousy, or the ache of loneliness. Maybe it was because he’d never seen such a look of fondness and concern on Nathan’s face, especially not directed at him. Maybe it was the simple fact of having a visitor in his room, a grateful visitor. A _male_ visitor.

Lasciviousness swept through Ezra, and he mindlessly stepped back, collided hard with the wall. Wantonness beckoned; an abandonment of all propriety and reason.

‘Ezra?’ Nathan lifted a tentative hand to Ezra’s face. Though his fingertips never quite touched Ezra, the skin they hovered over became hot and prickly and damp.

_Remember he’s only being friendly_, Ezra scolded himself. There was no need to read anything more into the gesture, for it was as innocent as Nathan’s embrace of Delmore Tye.

‘Are you running a fever?’ Nathan the healer asked, and his hand lifted to Ezra’s brow.

‘No,’ Ezra managed to protest before that palm met his forehead. ‘No, I’m fine.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Sleep. I didn’t sleep well last night. That’s all. I just need to get some sleep.’

‘Well, all right.’ Nathan seemed skeptical, but he wasn’t the sort to insist. Unless he could really do good, and there was no other way, such as when he had fixed Ezra’s dislocated shoulder for him despite Ezra’s lengthy protests, back when Ezra had been sane enough _not_ to want black hands touching him. ‘Get some rest, then, and I’ll check up on you later.’

‘There’s no need, Mr. Jackson. Really.’ Ezra edged along the wall away from the man, and then stumbled over to the bed, collapsed onto it. He wasn’t sure if this strategy was designed to make Nathan leave, by demonstrating that he was willing to rest – or to invite him to stay.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Nathan said, heading for the door now, though he was still looking concerned. ‘As for Delmore,’ he added, ‘I don’t think I can ever thank you enough.’

‘You already have, believe me,’ Ezra assured him. And then, praise the Lord, the man left and the door was firmly closed.

Ezra groaned, as much in disbelief as in frustration. He had never, not once in his whole life, felt that way for a black man. Where in heaven – or more likely hell – had that sudden attraction come from?

He lay there for a while, face pressed into the counterpane, searching for cool thoughts and reasonable ideas. It would not do. Instead he reached for the bottle of whisky in his bedside cupboard, and took a long swig. Maybe he’d go lose himself in a game of cards. Yes, that’s what he’d do. The thrill of a win would provide suitable distraction.

Just so long as Nathan Jackson was nowhere near. Ezra decided it would be wise to avoid the man entirely for as long as humanly possible. In fact, if he never saw Nathan again, it would be too soon, and he’d do all he could to make sure that happened. With such a promise, Ezra hauled himself up off the bed.

♦

## Part Two

♦

If the other six gunmen noticed that Ezra began volunteering for the tasks that would take him away from the town for days at a stretch, no one commented on the matter. Given that Ezra’s usual behavior included avoiding whatever responsibilities he could, and remaining near the saloon’s gaming tables, he’d have thought someone would at least _notice_. The excuses and diversions he’d prepared were, however, never required.

So it was that Ezra found himself crammed into the regular stagecoach heading into town late one afternoon. The bank manager had asked him to go to Phoenix, and return with a small shipment of newly-minted coin that they were expecting. The coin was safely and anonymously tucked away in the luggage, and as the coach neared town, Ezra grew complacent. Civilization was slowly spreading through the whole County, no doubt partly due to the influence of a certain band of seven gunmen; and while that didn’t necessarily suit all members of the seven, the increase in local prosperity had so far led very nicely to a proportional increase in Ezra’s gambling income.

Ezra slid his silver hip flask out of his coat pocket, and took a welcome swig. The proper old lady travelling opposite him glared her disapproval – so he politely offered the flask to her, and smiled as she turned away, mortally offended. Obviously one of the temperance sisters. She couldn’t turn far, of course, for there were six passengers in the coach, including Ezra, and they were packed in like sardines.

The coach rattled on, and Ezra applied what relief he could to his parched throat. Pleasant day-dreams filled his mind of the town’s bathhouse, where copious amounts of soap and hot water could be applied to ridding himself of the unrelenting trail-dirt. A nice long soak, and clean clothes, and then a night spent playing poker. It didn’t get much better than that. One day soon Ezra would have won himself enough to buy a saloon of his own, and then life would be perfect – for, as everyone knew, the house always wins…

Such self-satisfied thoughts were interrupted by an indistinct cry from outside the coach. They were climbing up one of the last hills before town – without warning, and without any reason that Ezra could immediately ascertain, the driver began slowing down the coach even further, apparently with a view to stopping it. Ezra glanced around at the other passengers, but they seemed even less enlightened than he was. The horses were eventually persuaded to settle to an orderly halt. And then a cry sounded again, and this time it was clear: ‘This is a hold-up!’

Silence.

Then: ‘I _said_, this is a hold-up!’

‘All right, son,’ Sam the driver could be heard to say in soothing but nervous tones. ‘It’s a hold-up, all right.’

Ezra frowned, and stuck his head out of the window – ‘Oh! Be careful, Mr. Standish!’ one of the women passengers exclaimed. (It wasn’t the temperance lady.)

‘I want all your valuables!’

‘But we’re not carrying anything valuable, son. This is just the regular stage.’

‘I don’t care! And _don’t_ call me son!’

Ezra leaned out further, searching for the robber and his companions. But it seemed that they had managed to get themselves surrounded by one man… The outlaw had picked quite a good location for the ambush, on a steep part of the road, with a hard curve for the coach to negotiate – but that was about as clever as he’d been.

‘Now, give me all your valuables!’

There was something about that voice… Ezra worked his way through bodies and baggage over to the other side of the coach, and stuck his head out of that window. There was one man on a horse, holding a rifle, just ahead of the coach. Despite the fact he was wearing a large handkerchief over his face, it could be seen that he was black. And though the voice didn’t quite identify him to Ezra, the regal bearing did. Ezra opened the door to the coach, and stepped casually down.

‘Mr. Tye, I presume…?’

The man’s attention was seized, and his gun-hand wavered. ‘Mr. Standish, sir…?’

Ezra began ambling over to the would-be outlaw, not bothering to draw his own gun. (‘Oh, _please_ be careful, Mr. Standish,’ that woman cried after him.)

‘I didn’t know you’d be on the coach…’

‘Evidently.’ Ezra was standing beside Delmore now. He reached up and snagged the rifle. ‘I do believe you’re under arrest. Get down from there.’

‘Yes, sir.’ The desperado meekly threw a leg over his horse’s neck and dismounted.

‘Sam,’ Ezra called to the driver, ‘pray continue your journey. I will escort you on Mr. Tye’s mount.’ Once he was astride the man’s horse, Ezra frowned down at his companion. ‘What are you doing with so fine a specimen of horseflesh, Mr. Tye? Did you liberate her from someone more deserving?’

‘No, sir!’ Delmore seemed quite outraged by the suggestion. More humbly, he asked, ‘Am I to ride in the coach?’

‘_You_, sir, are walking back to town. And stay ahead of me where I can see you!’ When Delmore appeared about to protest, Ezra drawled, ‘It is barely a mile. Even I could manage it, if needs be.’

Though, thank heavens, needs didn’t be, and hopefully needs never _would_ be. Ezra clicked his tongue and the horse obediently walked on, while Sam got the coach slowly under way again, and with a glare at Ezra both mutinous and embarrassed, Delmore turned and led the way.

♦

The procession slowly progressed down the main street in the dusk of early evening. Ezra kept an eye out for J.D., who though the least experienced of the seven gunmen, took responsibility for the Sheriff’s duties. And there was the young man, passing time with the girl Casey, on the sidewalk outside Mary Travis’s newspaper office. ‘J.D.!’ Ezra hollered, and the fellow obligingly took his leave of Casey and came running. Ezra indicated his prisoner. ‘Would you be so kind as to take Mr. Tye here to the cells, and lock him up? I’ll be along shortly.’

‘Of course.’ J.D. took Delmore’s arm in a firm grip. ‘What’s he done?’

‘Attempted hold-up. No doubt Mr. Tye would appreciate Mr. Jackson’s presence as well, if you can arrange it.’

J.D. nodded acknowledgment, and led Delmore off towards the Sheriff’s office. Ezra clicked his tongue, and Delmore’s horse trotted after the stagecoach, which was now pulling up in front of the hotel. This was indeed a fine animal, even-tempered and responsive, and Ezra wondered again how Delmore had come by her.

A few moments were enough to ensure that the box of coin was received in good order by the bank manager. As Ezra left the coach behind, the safely disembarking passengers burst into a grateful round of applause for his alleged heroism. Ezra made the most of it, doffing his hat and performing as sweeping a bow as he could while still on Delmore’s horse. He was aware that if he grinned just _so_, the torchlight would glint off his gold tooth, and add a touch of extravagance to the spectacle… Many of the townsfolk paused to watch, and then as Ezra turned away and the moment was over, they gathered around Sam and the others, wanting their curiosities satisfied.

Ezra left them to it, and headed for the Sheriff’s office.

Nathan was already there, and already haranguing Delmore through the bars of his cell. ‘What the hell did you think you were doing, Delmore?’

Mary Travis was there, too, watching with anxious concern, along with young J.D., of course. Ezra propped his rear on one of the desks, and took a last swig from his flask; he’d need to seek a refill from the saloon as soon as he could get away.

‘Talk to me!’ Nathan demanded.

‘I _told_ you, I needed the money,’ was Delmore’s sullen contribution.

Hoping to cut to the chase, Ezra asked, ‘What for?’

Nathan turned to Ezra, and cried in high frustration, ‘He won’t say!’ His tones were slightly more reasonable when he turned back to Delmore. ‘You know, when I told you to find another way, I meant something _legal_. What use is it otherwise? Ill-gotten gains never profit a man.’

Ezra could have argued that one, but he didn’t; he just sat there and watched Nathan argue with no discernible effect on the stubborn-faced Delmore. This was Ezra’s first sight of Nathan for some while, as Nathan himself had been away from town for a few days before Ezra’s own journey to Phoenix. Ezra wasn’t sure where Nathan had gone during his absence… Perhaps the man had been visiting the young woman he’d met at the Seminole village – now, Ezra reflected, _there_ was a happy thought! He was pleased that he himself felt nothing inappropriate on seeing Nathan again, and of course a reminder that Nathan would not welcome such feelings even if they did arise, was very useful.

Mary asked, ‘J.D., what do you think?’

Everyone else turned to the youngster for his opinion; Ezra belatedly followed suit, though he was uncertain about the specific topic.

‘Well,’ J.D. quavered, ‘I guess we don’t _have_ to press charges.’

‘It is his first offence,’ Mary observed, though her tone indicated some doubt. She often spoke with due consideration to what her father-in-law the Judge might think was best.

‘I’ll take responsibility for him,’ Nathan declared. ‘I won’t let him out of my sight until I work out what’s going on.’

‘No…’ Delmore weakly protested. ‘No, don’t.’

Nathan added, ‘I’ll bring him back to stand trial if we decide to press charges, I guarantee it.’

‘Ezra?’ asked J.D., apparently wanting his opinion.

Oddly enough, Ezra felt inclined to clemency. ‘No one was hurt; nothing was stolen; he surrendered himself without a harsh word let alone a fight: I can assure you that Mr. Tye is _not_ a hardened career criminal. You might as well let him go, J.D..’

‘All right.’ Justice was as easy as that. J.D. hoisted the heavy ring of keys, and headed for the cells.

‘Wait,’ Nathan said, and then he threw a dark look at Delmore. ‘I want to ride out to his ranch with him, but it’s too late this evening. Keep him here overnight, J.D.. Give him time to do a bit of thinking.’

J.D. shrugged and agreed, then settled back in his chair to wait with the prisoner. Figuring this little drama had now played out, Ezra nodded a general farewell, and made his weary way back down the main street to his hotel.

♦

Minutes after Ezra had shut the door and barred the world from his room, there came an unwelcome knock. Ezra sighed; he’d just been gathering his clothes and other gear with the aim of heading for the bathhouse. ‘Who is it?’

‘Nathan.’

‘Then, pray come in.’ He hoped his tones were suitably casual. For it abruptly occurred to Ezra that last time he’d been alone with Nathan Jackson in this room, something untoward had happened.

The man walked in, and then closed the door behind him. Too late to think of an excuse to leave it open. ‘Er,’ Ezra began, ‘I was just on my way out, actually. For a bath. Hell of a journey, you know. Thorough ablutions are somewhat overdue.’

Nathan was just staring at him, though, with a _slightly_ appreciative smile on his face. ‘You’re helping Delmore again,’ Nathan commented – quite rudely given that the current topic of conversation was bathing.

‘Well, yes. But he is possibly the most inept criminal I have ever laid eyes on. It would have been quite undignified to sign my name to his arrest warrant.’

‘Sometimes I begin to think I could like you.’

The most inconsequential tones, but Ezra’s heart thudded hard and then stopped, and this wholly unexpected statement stood there between them for a long moment.

Eventually Ezra managed to drawl, ‘I’m flattered…’

‘_Really_ like you,’ Nathan added, staring at him in a curious kind of way.

That dread light-headed, weak-kneed feeling came over Ezra again even though Nathan was all the way across the room; the heat inundated him, along with the urge to surrender. He would not, he must not, abandon himself to it.

‘You are genuinely helping him, Ezra, for a second time. Why? What’s in it for you?’

Ah, now this was a safer topic. And no doubt Nathan had this mingled gratitude and suspicion in mind all along, and only Ezra had taken the conversation so personally. Ezra struggled to collect himself. ‘There was an easy hundred dollars in it for me last time. Who knows what further manna I may win from the ridiculous situations he puts himself in…?’

After a moment, Nathan nodded, as if accepting this explanation; he always expected mercenary motivations from Ezra, and for good reason. Then Nathan bluntly announced, ‘I want you to come out to Delmore’s ranch with me and Delmore tomorrow.’

Ezra immediately began dissembling, but Nathan persevered.

‘He needs a guiding hand, and he seems to look up to you. I have a feeling he’s already turning a deaf ear to my lectures.’

‘I’m really not sure if…’

‘He’s only eighteen. His mamma died last winter, and he’s a bit young for the responsibilities that fell on him, I think that’s the heart of the problem.’

‘I see, but if –’

‘There’s no real hurry in the morning. We can wait until you’ve conducted any business you want. Meanwhile, Delmore might learn something about what it’s like behind bars.’

‘Well, all right,’ Ezra found himself saying, much to his own surprise.

‘Thanks.’ And Nathan was smiling at him – a broad, innocent, grateful smile that surely deserved to arouse something other than licentiousness in its beholder…

A moment later Nathan was gone; and Ezra was left with foolishness, and a fear that if he was in danger now, that could only increase with further proximity and shared concerns. And he wasn’t thinking of the danger to life and limb.

♦

Delmore’s ranch was situated in a gently rolling valley high up in the hills, about five miles north of town and just beyond the County border. Ezra looked about him at the abundant grass, the few peaks that protected the ranch from the harshest weather, and the ample water supply provided by the converging creeks that must form the head of the town’s river – and he thought complacently of all the profits that ranching could bring. From there it was a short meander to the notion that a share in such excessive profits could easily be won by Ezra through the fairest of means. The saloon of his dreams would soon become one of reality…

‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ Nathan commented.

‘Oh yes, my friend,’ Ezra smugly replied, ‘it certainly will be.’ For which he received an odd look and a shake of the head: it seemed that Nathan often despaired of understanding him, or of liking Ezra if he ever did so.

The three men rode up to the ranch house, which was a neat little affair of rough-hewn timber. It might look appealing to a lover of rusticity, Ezra supposed, but to a city gentleman its appearance only made him wonder where he would find the comfort and privacy necessary for his slumbers that night.

A young woman ran out of the house. ‘Delmore! My God, Delmore!’ If Delmore was a prince, this girl was most certainly a princess. Even her voice was as clear and as beautiful as the tone of a bell.

Nathan, of course, seemed rather struck by her – he shot a confused glance back at Delmore, who muttered, ‘My twin sister Yvette.’

Tumbling after Yvette came a delightful little coffee-colored boy, and then a comfortably large woman as dark as Delmore, and then a white man looking rather out-of-place with his fine clothes, expensively-cut red hair and bright blue eyes.

‘Delmore, where have you been?’ Yvette was asking. ‘You said you’d only be a few hours!’

‘Sorry,’ Delmore said, throwing a leg over his horse’s neck and dismounting. ‘It got too late to come back last night.’ Obviously conscious of this as an evasion, Delmore glanced back at his two companions. ‘Uh, this is Nathan Jackson and Mr. Standish, who I told you about.’

Following Nathan’s lead, Ezra dismounted. Once he was on the ground, Ezra stepped forward in order to pay suitable attention to the introductions – and found that the women were staring at him with awe and gratitude. ‘Ladies,’ he said, politely tipping his hat. Lord, even the white guy was looking at him with quiet but particular respect. ‘Sir.’ It seemed that a hundred dollars could earn one a great many friends in these parts.

‘Um, this is my older sister Lianna, and that’s Yvette, of course.’ Delmore was stumbling a little over the correct forms of introduction. ‘Oh, this is our good friend Mr. Charles Baden; I probably should have mentioned him first. And that’s Lianna’s son Darby.’ Voice trailing off, Delmore nevertheless added, ‘He was named for his father, but _Darby_ means _free man_ in Irish, or so I’m told.’

Nathan and Ezra shook hands all round, and were greeted with many variations on ‘You’re very welcome here, please make yourself at home.’

‘Darby,’ Delmore eventually said, ‘take the horses round to the corral, and brush them down.’

‘Yes’m,’ the boy replied, not sounding too thrilled. He cast an envious look at the adults as they began heading into the house; he was no doubt expecting to miss out on such good things as cake and gossip.

‘Why don’t you let me help you?’ Ezra suggested to Darby, partly because he rarely liked to trust anyone with his possessions, especially the most valuable ones.

Delmore protested, of course. ‘Mr. Standish, that’s really not necessary. If you’d come inside and let us –’

‘It would be a pleasure to tend to the horses, especially if the rest of your animals are as fine as this one,’ Ezra replied, grinning a little to convey his continuing suspicions about the animal’s origin in the nicest possible way. ‘Besides, I’m sure you and Mr. Jackson and your family have a great deal to talk about.’

Immediately looking shamefaced, Delmore turned and followed the rest of the party inside. Darby was wistfully gazing after them, so Ezra whispered to him, ‘Don’t worry, little man, I’ll tell you the whole story.’

The large corral behind the house contained five beautiful horses, all in peak condition, and all seemingly possessed of excellent tempers; they were curious about the stranger approaching them, but they didn’t even consider panicking. ‘My uncle Del,’ Darby explained when Ezra asked who was responsible. ‘He’s a wizard with ’em, that’s what Mr. Baden says.’

‘Well, well, well,’ Ezra murmured, his complacency reaching prodigious proportions. ‘I think your uncle Mr. Tye might prove to be a most worthy acquaintance.’

There was a loud shriek from the house, presumably from Lianna; Yvette could be heard to demand, ‘You did _what_? Delmore, how _could_ you?’

Darby stared back at the house for a moment, consumed by curiosity – and then swung his gaze up to Ezra’s. ‘Tell me the story!’

They spent a pleasant hour together out there in the sunshine taking care of the three horses, while Ezra spun a heroic tale of how Delmore and himself thwarted a whole… (he happily coined a new term) a whole _rustle_ of cowboys bent on robbing a stagecoach full of gold. In fact, Ezra got quite carried away by it all, and, feeling rather self-satisfied by the end, gave a moment’s thought to a new career in journalism. But, no; it just wasn’t a profitable enough business, especially not with the long hours that Mary Travis felt necessary to devote to her newspaper.

By this stage, Delmore’s mount and the two visiting animals were running loose in the corral; Darby was standing on the middle railing and leaning on the top one; and Ezra, in his shirtsleeves, was propped beside him. ‘So, my little friend,’ Ezra eventually drawled. ‘You have quite a nice spread up here, and everything seems perfectly rosy – do you have _any_ idea why your uncle Delmore might have wanted to borrow some money from me?’

‘Um, well, I don’t think I’m meant to say.’

‘It’s a secret,’ Ezra concluded with a delighted smile.

‘Yes’m.’

‘That’s wonderful. I wish I was as good at keeping secrets as you are, Master Darby.’

The child looked quite shocked. ‘You’re _not_?’

‘No, sir. For instance, I wasn’t supposed to tell you about the cowboys, for fear of you having nightmares.’

‘Oh, I never have bad dreams,’ Darby stoutly announced.

‘I’m glad to hear it. And why aren’t you supposed to tell me your secret?’

‘Because Mr. Baden’s Pa don’t want people knowin’ about him associ‑ uh…’

‘Associating?’

‘Yeah, with a black girl.’

‘Ah…’ Ezra nodded as the mystery fell into place. ‘So Mr. Baden wants to marry the lovely Yvette.’

Darby clapped his hand over his gaping mouth, realizing he’d given it all away.

Ezra laughed so easily, though, that the boy was soon smiling again despite himself. ‘Don’t worry, little man, I’m quite the friend of the family by now, you know.’

By the time the pair headed inside, Ezra had the whole story. The adults had obviously finished telling Nathan, too, for they were silent now, and Nathan was smiling very fondly at Yvette and Baden, who were bold and sentimental enough to be sitting there holding hands.

‘I understand the problem,’ Ezra announced, unable to prevent himself catching the fond smiles that were gracing everyone’s faces. Well, everyone but for Delmore. ‘Mr. Baden’s father is, of course, a gentleman, but Mr. Baden’s father is not happy. Mr. Baden’s father is insisting on shapperelled visits – _chaperoned_ visits, perhaps? And Mr. Baden’s father is also insisting on a dowby (I take it that’s a dowry). Am I right to suspect that the dowry is rather exorbitant, perhaps in the hopes that it will prove beyond your means, Mr. Tye?’

Delmore glowered up at him. ‘Yes, sir.’

‘Well, then, Mr. Tye, I believe you can revert to your usual career of honest horse rancher – Mr. Jackson and I can help you find an alternate solution.’

That awed and grateful look was back, at least on the part of the ladies. Darby even slipped his hand into that of his new friend. Ezra was quite touched. Perhaps he should play Cupid more often.

♦

Charles Baden had headed home; he’d left an hour before the sun was due to set. Apparently his father was in the mining business, and had been in the area for the past three months scouting for new mineral wealth. His son had unearthed a rather different kind of treasure.

Delmore’s family had shared supper with their two visitors, and had now settled for the night. Nathan and Ezra were to sleep outside on the verandah, despite offers from various family members of giving up or sharing their beds – all of which Nathan had steadfastly refused. Ezra had smiled graciously throughout, while cursing his friend under his breath.

Once the house had quietened, the two men each took a mug of coffee and a chair outside, and sat together in the sighing grass under the stars.

They were silent for a long time, and the mood was contemplative, until Nathan finally announced in a low voice, ‘I’ve been thinking about you.’

‘Oh, here it comes,’ Ezra sardonically responded: ‘Dr Jackson’s homespun philosophy.’

‘Maybe just an observation.’

‘Then give it to me straight, my friend.’

Nathan nodded, and considered the stars for a moment longer before saying, ‘You have the capacity to change, Ezra, and you have. I admire that in a man.’

‘Really. And, may I ask, have I changed for the better or for the worse?’

‘Oh, for the better, definitely.’

Ezra grinned, though it was lost on Nathan, who apparently couldn’t meet his gaze. ‘For example…?’ Ezra prompted.

‘For example. That first job the seven of us ever did together, protecting the Seminole village from those Confederate soldiers – you ran away. You don’t do that anymore.’

That merited a chuckle. ‘I wouldn’t dare, for fear that Mr. Larabee would mete out a worse punishment than whatever I was trying to avoid.’

Nathan shook this off, as if annoyed by Ezra’s frivolity.

Ezra considered his serious friend for a while; then asked, ‘And where did this reflection come from, Mr. Jackson? I have exhibited no particular signs of bravery today.’

‘I was just thinking, that’s all.’

‘I’m flattered.’

The silence returned, which was quite a pity, as Nathan’s voice seemed to become rather warm during companionable moments such as this. Warm and thick and sharply sweet, like dark honey.

Perhaps it would be suitable to repay the compliment with a confession. Ezra murmured, ‘I’m still a coward at heart, Mr. Jackson. Don’t go writing my eulogy yet, for you may have it all wrong.’

Which earned a quiet reply: ‘Honesty is also a very attractive trait…’

‘I beg your pardon?’

Nathan cleared his throat, and responded more directly. ‘You’re wise enough to be afraid, and brave enough to do what has to be done regardless – that’s what I call true courage. You haven’t turned away from what has to be done for a long while now.’

Ezra sat there staring fixedly at his own booted feet stuck out before him; wondering if he was actually blushing at this praise, and if such a shameful thing could be discovered by the light of the stars. Something inside of him was veritably glowing.

‘A man’s behavior matters,’ Nathan continued. ‘You’re still a bigot when it comes to colored people and Indians and –’

‘It’s the way I was brought up.’ Ezra surprised himself with that – a defensive snarl, as if it mattered to him.

‘I know.’ Nathan was still using those easy, dark-honey tones. ‘And maybe you’ll never quite get away from it. But you treat people better these days. You behave better. You’ve been wonderful today, with Delmore and Darby and everyone – and you know it. You’re capable of change.’

‘For the Lord’s sake, enough!’ Ezra laughed a little, flummoxed by the steady compliments. ‘May I ask where all this is tending?’

‘I’m interested in you, Ezra. Sometimes I could like you. That’s where it’s tending.’

‘Sometimes you could like me,’ Ezra flatly repeated. Nathan had said that before, of course, but every time the two of them shared a friendly moment, it inevitably soured. ‘I know, Mr. Jackson, I know – you like me, but then I always disappoint you.’ And right now, after the unbidden reactions of the last few weeks, Ezra couldn’t be sorry it was so.

Nathan murmured, ‘Don’t disappoint me, Ezra.’ And there was a hint of something meaningful in the tone, something significant.

Ezra turned to look at the man. Nathan was gazing back at him, not really conveying anything other than the ease of willing companionship, though he seemed to be waiting for something; it was all a mystery to Ezra. But after a while those dread feelings stole back over him. It wasn’t a direct attack this time; rather, it was a slow creeping occupation by foreign forces. One moment Ezra was puzzling over this friend of his; the next he was experiencing the hot damp prickle of his skin; and then lust eased through him, gentle and inexorable all at once. Wonderful and terrifying at the same time. But it shouldn’t happen like this, he shouldn’t react like this, not with a black man, not with Nathan. Ezra could make no sense of it at all.

He abruptly stood, threw the dregs of his coffee out across the hissing grass, and then he stalked over to the verandah. Ezra quickly located his bedroll, arranged it and his two blankets, and then settled for the night, fully dressed. Without saying a word to Nathan.

And the annoying thing was that Ezra found himself worrying about whether Nathan would take his behavior amiss… This had gone too far. It had gone nowhere, of course, but that in itself was too far. It had to stop. It had to stop.

♦

After a horribly uncomfortable night, the morning brought a complication to the Baden nuptials situation. Another white man arrived who obviously also had designs on Yvette – and this was a man who had some power over the Tye family, for he held the mortgage on Delmore’s ranch…

Ezra was introduced to the man, name of John Saunders – a large and unattractive fellow, with just enough plausibility in his manner to prevent him from being easily dismissed. Saunders didn’t stay for more than a few minutes, perhaps wary of Delmore’s two visitors (who did after all carry a weighty reputation), but it was long enough for him to cast several acquisitive stares at Yvette and make various veiled references to the annual mortgage payment due by the end of the month.

‘I assume,’ Ezra said once the man had left, ‘that Mr. Saunders’ wishes regarding Miss Tye are adding urgency to the need to raise a dowry for Baden Senior…?’

‘Yes, sir,’ Delmore replied. He was angry to his core, anyone could see that, but covering it over with sullenness. It appeared that Delmore Tye could not see an acceptable way out of the situation, or at least not one that was within his power.

Lianna had taken Darby off somewhere to help her with the morning’s chores, so Ezra felt free to speak plainly. He sat down at the kitchen table, discreetly trying to ease his aches and pains. ‘You don’t have enough money to make both the mortgage payment and the dowry?’

Delmore turned away, his back answering _no_ as plain as day.

Nathan asked, ‘Do you have enough to at least make one of the payments? Because if Saunders will accept the money, you’d better deal with him first.’

Delmore just shook his head.

‘We’ve barely got half of the mortgage payment,’ Yvette said. ‘Charles would help us, but his father suspects as much, and he’s cut off his access to their bank accounts. Charles says he can raise about a hundred dollars when we need it, though, selling his diamond pin and his horse and things like that. I wish he didn’t have to…’

‘What about those horses you’ve got corralled out the back?’ asked Nathan. ‘You should fetch a fine price for them.’

Yvette shook her head. ‘One of the cattle ranchers we usually deal with, he said that Mr. Saunders is putting pressure on them not to do business with us. We’ve all heard about you seven men, and the good you do. But I wish you weren’t based in that town, because north of here, Mr. Saunders gets to have everything his own way.’

‘How flattering for you,’ Ezra murmured sardonically, ‘having two such well-to-do suitors for your hand.’

‘Saunders doesn’t want to marry her!’ Delmore spat out, turning back to them and finally giving vent to his angry frustration. ‘He already has one mistress, and he wants another.’

‘Oh,’ said Nathan. Yvette had flushed, but defiantly held her chin high. Delmore just glowered.

‘Then the sooner we resolve this, the happier we’ll all be,’ Ezra observed. ‘Except for Saunders, of course, but such a blackguard deserves to be thwarted. What Nathan and I will do,’ he announced, ‘is take your horses back to town, and sell them for as inflated a price as we can get – though those horses will be worth every cent – and I’m sure that will take care of the bulk of the problem. There is Mr. Baden’s contribution, of course. And any shortfalls might be made up by me dedicating a night or two of gambling to your cause, especially if I head for Phoenix, or even that new mining town west of here, which I hear is booming following the recent discovery of a large vein of silver.’

Yvette was all sweet smiles and relieved gratitude. Even Delmore managed a ‘Thank you, Mr. Standish’, before he grabbed Nathan and headed out back to round up the horses.

Ezra was far too stiff and sorry for himself to bother with such exertion. Instead, he suggested to Yvette, ‘Perhaps you could brew some more coffee before we head off?’ Then he stared at the scarred old table and mused over the situation once more, while she filled a pot with water and put it on the stove. There were still two things missing to complete the happy ending, and of course it took a gentleman to think of them. ‘Come here, my dear.’

‘Yes, sir?’

Ezra indicated the seat beside him, and Yvette sank to it very prettily. It really was no wonder that two men of consequence were vying for this charming princess.

‘I think we should keep a little money aside to buy you a new dress,’ Ezra said.

Once she’d quit gaping with surprise, Yvette became even more beautiful as she recognized the compliment implicit in this favor.

Ezra dug into his left boot for his roll of bank notes, and peeled off fifteen dollars’ worth. ‘Now, the rest of this is put by for my own dreams, but I do promise you we will raise enough to see you safely married to young Baden.’

‘Oh, thank you, Mr. Stand‑’

He cut her off with a gesture. It was odd how weary a man could get of unrelenting adulation. ‘So, Miss Tye, there is no need to add this to the dowry fund.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘I never saw a black woman look lovelier than in white wedding clothes,’ Ezra commented quite honestly. ‘It suits your complexion marvelously.’

She nodded, and slipped the money away into the pocket of her apron.

‘And there’s one last item to take care of. Do you have a wedding ring?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Then I shall assist you with that as well.’ Ezra slipped the opal ring off his own ring finger and considered it a moment. Yvette was gaping again, as well she might – the ring was quite flashy, and rather expensive, and therefore exactly what a princess required. ‘Take it for your nuptials,’ Ezra murmured, ‘and if you find yourself in need afterwards, it will fetch you a few cents.’

‘Oh, Mr. Standish…’ she murmured, one hand pressed prettily to her heart as if it were beating thrice too fast.

Ezra indulged himself in a little play-acting: he took her left hand in his, and slipped the ring onto her third finger, for all the world as if he were the groom. ‘Wear it in good health, my dear.’

Yvette stared down at the ring for a moment in disbelief, and then lifted her bright dark gaze to Ezra’s. The moment bloomed and swelled: a woman in love, with all her dreams about to become true; Ezra’s unexpected enjoyment of being magnanimous; the spice of illicitness. Ezra fancied that if he’d tried to kiss her just then, he might have succeeded.

Instead he smiled at Yvette, and sat back in his chair. ‘Now, I wonder when that coffee might be ready…’

At the gentle prompt, she stood up and darted to the stove. ‘Oh! Of course. I’m sorry, Mr. Standish.’

Feeling delightfully smug, Ezra settled himself comfortably. He could get used to this benefactor business.

Nathan was there.

Ezra started, having thought he and Yvette were alone. But, no, Nathan was standing there in the shadows of the verandah, staring in at Ezra. And he did not look pleased.

‘Mr. Jackson!’ Ezra cried. ‘Come on in and have some of Miss Tye’s fine coffee.’

‘We should leave,’ Nathan replied, his tone severe under the politeness.

‘Surely we can spare a few minutes.’

Yvette, still glowing with satisfaction, added her own invitation, and it was soon settled – they were to stay for a quick meal of bread, cheese and cold lamb, before riding back down to town with the string of horses.

The meal was almost a silent one but for Darby’s chatter. Delmore stared goggle-eyed at the opal ring; Yvette provided a brief explanation; the two women sat there wreathed in dreamy smiles while Delmore sank further into his gloom. And the more Nathan stared his disapproval, the more Ezra enjoyed himself.

♦

Nathan remained silent until they had left the ranch well behind them and were winding their way down through the foothills with the horses obediently following. And then finally he could contain himself no longer. The man trotted his horse up level with Ezra’s and demanded, ‘What the _hell_ was that about? I thought you were –’

Ah, so he knew. Ezra wasn’t too surprised, for the town’s healer paid close though tactful attention to all his friends and their health and their habits. Ezra supplied the words that Nathan was hesitating over: ‘An invert?’

‘Yes!’

‘Well, I am,’ Ezra confirmed in his most sardonic tones. ‘What of it, Mr. Jackson?’

Nathan glared at him. ‘Nothing.’

With more genuine feeling, Ezra added, ‘I assure you I am not about to complicate the situation further by seeking Miss Tye’s hand for myself.’

That earned Ezra an exasperated stare and a retort: ‘I didn’t think you were.’

The pair of them rode on in silence for a time. Eventually, as the town’s silhouette appeared against the hills across the valley, Ezra said, ‘If you talk, Mr. Jackson, I’ll ensure it goes hard for you. Once that kind of mud starts getting slung around, there’s no telling where it might stick.’

‘You don’t need to threaten me, Ezra.’

Surprisingly reasonable tones, and a distinct lack of resentment. The two men exchanged a look that Ezra fancied could be one of acceptance: Nathan might not understand or approve, but neither would he judge. Ezra nodded, and they turned towards town in silent accord.

♦

Nathan accompanied Ezra up to his room that evening. Ezra wasn’t entirely sure why; he hadn’t even noticed at the time, though it certainly wasn’t their usual habit at all. They had settled Delmore’s horses at the livery, checked in with Chris, Vin and Buck at the saloon, and then Nathan had walked beside Ezra all the way across the street and into the hotel and up the stairs and down the corridor… They were talking, and though it must have been an engrossing conversation, Ezra could never afterwards recall what the subject was.

They were in Ezra’s room, and the door was shut, and even then Ezra wasn’t thinking clearly enough to be wary. It was only when Nathan laid hands on him that he froze in sudden fear. He had promised himself never to be alone with this man, and yet here they were. Alone. Together. In Ezra’s room.

_Laid hands on him_ was an exaggeration, Ezra belatedly realized. Nathan was simply helping Ezra off with his coat. ‘I noticed your shoulder is giving you pain,’ the man was murmuring, standing close behind him.

Even as he let Nathan slip the coat back down his arms, Ezra was quietly protesting, ‘No, no, a little discomfort, that’s all.’

‘You’ve been holding it wrong all day, you’ve been stiff and sore – I can tell.’

Why were they almost whispering? It hardly mattered if anyone overheard such an innocuous conversation. Perhaps it was because they were close, standing so close, and the room was so hushed, and it wouldn’t do to go startling each other.

‘I’m not used to sleeping on verandahs,’ Ezra explained. ‘Hard wooden verandahs. You may have noticed that it got cold before dawn.’ _And_, he didn’t add, _I spent all night facing away from you_. For, indeed, it was his right shoulder that had been paining him.

The coat was off now, and Ezra was in his waistcoat and shirtsleeves. He felt cool, which must have had something to do with the fear of exposure, because the room was comfortably warm. In fact, the room was very warm indeed.

‘Let me have a look at that,’ Nathan whispered, and then he really did touch Ezra…

His hands felt hot against Ezra’s skin, even through the cotton layers of shirt and undershirt. Wantonness flowed into Ezra like strong wine. He turned his head away, but that simple gesture of denial brought its own sensations to undermine him, as he felt his muscle and sinew shift and stretch under those gently probing fingers.

‘Does this hurt?’ Nathan had focused on the muscles fore and aft of his collarbone, laying his hands along their length.

‘No. No.’ Which was an honest answer: either the heat of those hands had already melted the soreness away, or the rest of him was so tensed up now that there was no difference anymore. He couldn’t get away, he couldn’t escape, Ezra couldn’t even move.

Nathan began kneading at the muscle, heating it further, relieving it.

‘Please,’ Ezra murmured before he could stop himself, and he was unsure whether he meant _Please continue_ or _Please desist_. Surely Nathan could have no idea what this was doing to him, what effect the man had been having on Ezra lately. He kept his head turned away, though he sensed it only served to further tense his muscles; he couldn’t bear to see Nathan’s good-natured, open-hearted face; and Ezra most certainly didn’t want to test whether his own mask was safely in place.

‘I’m curious, Ezra… I’m curious about a lot of things, but mostly I’m curious about you.’

With that enigmatic confession, Nathan set firm hands on Ezra’s shoulders and turned him around, so that they were facing each other. ‘What?’ Ezra had the wits to respond. ‘What do you mean?’

Nathan smiled at him, apparently content. Happy, even. ‘I’m interested.’ And he began unbuttoning Ezra’s waistcoat.

‘Wait,’ Ezra breathed, though even as he did so, lasciviousness was sweeping through him, and his will was wilting while other parts of him were not wilting at all. ‘Please wait…’

But Nathan was an inexorable force of nature, and to tell the truth Ezra wouldn’t have had it any other way. He had been standing there quite immovable despite all these provocations, but he was just about to take that one step and surrender, when the door opened –

Good Lord above, the door opened, and Maude Standish walked in unannounced.

♦

The two men and the woman stared at each other for a moment. Ezra feared he’d gone bright red. Nathan seemed thoroughly unembarrassed, and simply dropped his hands from Ezra’s waistcoat, though he didn’t move away. Maude was apparently surprised, but she was the first to recover the power of speech: ‘Well, son, I’m pleased to see you’ve come up in the world. Since when could you afford a manservant?’

There was a horrible fraught moment during which outrage burgeoned on Nathan’s face. Ezra _knew_ he himself had gone crimson by then, for the shame had just been multiplied by several unbearable amounts.

Expecting Nathan to let fly with some pithy retort, Ezra left a beat of silence. But when the man didn’t say anything, Ezra quickly stepped in and asserted with as much dignity as he could muster, ‘Nathan is my _friend_, mother.’

‘Really.’ Maude looked Nathan up and down, and reverted to her usual attitude regarding anyone and anything connected with Ezra: unimpressed. ‘Never mind, darling.’

Another ghastly moment passed, and then Nathan walked out. He simply walked out, without acknowledging Ezra at all, but without insulting Ezra’s mother, either. He walked out and quietly shut the door behind him.

‘What the _hell_ are you doing here, mother?’ Ezra didn’t give her the chance to answer, though, for he found he had a more pressing question. ‘And just who do you think you are, anyway, treating my friends like that?’

‘Lord, Ezra!’ she exclaimed. ‘Do you call that a welcome?’

‘No, and it wasn’t meant to be. Answer my question!’

‘Which one, dear?’

Ezra opened his mouth to tell her the latter; but then he realized it was useless if Maude was in one of her obtuse moods. It was confusing to be in the presence of his mother while so prodigiously aroused – for his reaction to Nathan had not gone away. It was confusing to be so grievously misunderstood, and yet he really wasn’t sure that he _wanted_ her to understand what he would have been doing just now but for her sudden entrance. Ezra glanced towards the unfortunately undisturbed bed, colored up again, and reached for his coat.

Opting for his first question instead of his second, Ezra asked, ‘To what do we owe the honor of your visit, mother?’

She smiled her most gracious smile. ‘Let me reply to that over an early supper.’

‘My treat, I imagine,’ Ezra muttered, giving her his arm.

‘But of course, son.’ And they walked out of the room and down the stairs together.

Given her blindness (genuine or not) to his potential relationship with Nathan, the one thing left for Ezra to hope for was that she’d be equally deaf to any stories of his own recent efforts as a Good Samaritan… He could imagine her drawled demand: ‘Exactly _who_ is taking advantage of _whom_ in this town, Ezra?’ With a sigh, Ezra escorted his mother into the hotel’s restaurant. This parental visit would no doubt prove to be even more hair-raising than the last.

♦

## Part Three

♦

No one knew how old Maude Standish was, not even her own son; and if Maude herself knew, she wasn’t telling. She was remarkably well-preserved, and took great care to keep it that way: she was always perfectly dressed and perfectly coiffed no matter what adventures she’d been through; and her lovely long blond hair was still untouched by grey, though perhaps not untouched by a hairdresser’s skill.

Ezra often wondered if she wouldn’t have associated quite so frequently with a son who was so obviously an adult, if he hadn’t inherited her youthful features. In fact, he’d thought himself baby-faced at least until he hit thirty – which had been useful in his career as con-man, for he always looked far more innocent than he ever was. But, yes, Maude was still beautiful, and Ezra could only hope he’d look as good himself in twenty years’ time.

Maude was certainly beautiful enough to have Josiah Sanchez smitten with her. The ex-preacher had fallen hard for Maude when she first visited the town, and his emotion showed no signs of ebbing away despite her giving him nothing more than the most minimal politeness that a lady could get away with. Well, perhaps at least _that_ was changing a little, for Maude had invited Josiah to join her and Ezra for lunch that day; and Ezra was sitting back, feeling like an utter gooseberry. In this situation, three was definitely a crowd.

Josiah was never more meek and civilized than when he was in love; the shaggy old shambles of man scrubbed up quite decently when he had a reason to do so. He could even indulge in small talk… ‘May I ask, ma’am,’ he was now murmuring over the lunch table, ‘whether Maude is a familiar form of Madeleine or of Matilda?’

Maude smiled at him with flirtatious connivance. ‘Which would you like it to be?’

‘Well, now,’ Josiah replied, leaning back in his chair, ‘I’m spoiled for choice. Madeleine is Greek for _Magdalene_, the woman who was beloved of Christ, and his first disciple; while Matilda is Old German for _powerful in battle_.’

‘How delightful,’ Maude declared, leaving Josiah to make up his own mind. ‘And what about Ezra? What does his name mean?’

‘It means _helper_,’ Josiah announced with a sly glance at Ezra.

‘How inappropriate,’ Ezra commented lightly; while Maude laughed her delicate tinkle of a laugh which meant she wasn’t impressed. Perhaps she wished she’d chosen better.

‘Nathan is also a Hebrew name,’ Josiah continued. ‘It means _gift_.’

Ezra stared repressively at the man, wondering how much Josiah knew and how much he suspected – and, anyway, how dare he raise the topic of Nathan in the presence of Ezra’s mother. ‘I bet Josiah is Hebrew for _interfering old man_; am I right?’

‘No, brother – _Jehovah supports_.’

Maude was tactful enough to change the subject and engage Josiah’s attention to herself again.

Wanting only to escape, Ezra headed for the restaurant’s kitchen in order to chase up a pot of coffee. He thought resentfully of Josiah’s hints, and puzzled for a moment over whether the preacher was speaking on his friend’s behalf. But surely not. Nathan had been avoiding Ezra since Maude’s arrival – which Ezra had come to consider a lucky escape. What _had_ he been thinking, letting himself drift so close to seduction by someone so entirely inappropriate? Well, no doubt the trouble was that he hadn’t been thinking at all.

And how could Josiah have known about any of that? Nathan wouldn’t have told him, and was no doubt as sorry about the whole thing as Ezra himself. Surely Josiah had only been referring to Ezra’s recent career as a do-gooder, which was well and truly over now. Nathan had sold Delmore’s horses, with Vin’s help (Ezra had decided not to involve himself further), and had gotten a good price for them. Ezra assumed the funds had been passed on to a grateful Delmore. End of story.

Ezra headed back to the lunch table with the coffee pot in one hand and three cups dangling from the fingers of the other. Luckily Maude and Josiah were talking of nothing more controversial than the beauties of San Francisco. Well, Ezra could safely participate in that conversation.

After drinking his coffee, Josiah at last excused himself, and Ezra was left alone with his mother, his closest relation, his own flesh and blood. She sat there silently for a while, as if giving serious consideration to something; even while deep in thought, though, Maude never seemed unaware of what was going on around her. Eventually she asked Ezra, ‘Have you thought any more about my offer?’

‘No, mother.’ That had been her ostensible reason for coming here: to invite Ezra into her current schemes. ‘You may recall that I refused you when you first mentioned the matter; and I haven’t even considered changing my mind since then.’

‘But it’s been so long since we last worked together,’ Maude continued, finding enough sentimentality within her to look wistfully at her son. ‘I’ve missed your companionship.’

‘Oh, is that what you call it?’ Ezra sardonically commented, thinking of his childhood, being dragged from town to town when it suited Maude to have him with her, and of being left with one distant relation after another when it didn’t. He seriously suspected that Maude made at least one of her many marriages with the sole view of leaving Ezra behind with a compliant stepfather. Ezra had refused to cooperate.

‘Come, my dear. The past is past, and whatever we were to each other before, we can be friends now, can’t we?’

‘Of course we’re friends,’ he said with distant politeness.

Maude considered him with her sharp light-blue eyes, which were a mirror for his own. ‘You’ve been here too long, Ezra. You’re in danger of becoming too attached.’ She clarified, ‘To this town, I mean. One can hardly work the angles of a situation when one is enmeshed in the center of it.’

‘Being enmeshed gives one opportunities one doesn’t have otherwise,’ Ezra said. ‘You ought to try it sometime.’

‘_Me_ settle down? When I die, perhaps.’

He reached to grasp her hand where it lay on the table. For some reason, the sudden thought of finally inevitably losing her had snagged on a genuine scrap of sentimentality within him. But Ezra managed to find a laugh. ‘You won’t settle down even then, I’m sure, mother. When you die, you will find some poor sod to haunt.’

‘Perhaps I’ll haunt you, son.’

‘Perhaps you will.’

And they fell silent again while they finished another cup of coffee and a glass of port each.

♦

Maude had some business at the bank the next morning; having nothing better to do at such an early hour, Ezra escorted her there. He pushed the door open for his mother, and then followed her into the rather cramped and remarkably dim main room. Maude took a moment to furl her parasol. When Ezra’s eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw there was only one other customer, and he was already dealing with the teller. Perhaps the bank was providing prompt service for once.

A moment later, Ezra realized that the customer was weeping. ‘Please, sir, I’m begging you, have mercy on me. I have a family to provide for.’

Maude took a seat by the door, with an exaggerated show of patience and discretion.

Ezra was able to recognize the voice by now, which was just as well because the regal bearing was somewhat diminished by the quivering shoulders. ‘Mr. Tye…? Is that you?’

Sure enough, Delmore turned around. ‘Mr. Standish, sir!’ He lifted an arm to swipe a sleeve at his tears. ‘Oh, Mr. Standish, please tell these gentlemen…’ But Delmore lost the words in another fit of ferocious weeping.

_Good Lord, how terminally embarrassing_. Ezra flung a glance back at his mother, who was at least looking elsewhere – either politely or disdainfully, depending on how well an observer could read her. He turned to see the teller and the bank manager glaring at him rather defensively; and then Ezra addressed Delmore. ‘Uh, what seems to be the problem, Mr. Tye?’

‘I was wanting the bank to buy our mortgage from Mr. Saunders. Please tell them I can pay, sir, you know that I can. It’s an investment, it’s a good investment for the bank.’

‘But I know John Saunders,’ the manager explained to Ezra. ‘He wouldn’t sell it to us, even if we wanted it.’

Ezra asked, ‘Can we take a step back here, Mr. Tye? Didn’t Mr. Jackson give you the proceeds from the sale of your horses?’

‘Begging your pardon, sir, but it still wasn’t enough, not with fixing the dowry, too. The mortgage isn’t for much, sir, but we have it on very hard terms.’ Delmore tried pleading with the bank manager once more: ‘I’m only asking for fair terms! I could meet the payments if it was fair, and I know you’d do right by me!’

The men behind the counter were unmoved.

Maude could be heard to quietly sigh with boredom.

Ezra backed away. Enough was enough. ‘I’ll send someone to fetch Mr. Jackson,’ he coolly announced. ‘Mr. Jackson can help sort this out for you.’ And Ezra retreated to Maude’s side. ‘Mother, let’s return when they’re not so busy.’

And, with his mother leaning on his arm, Ezra escaped into a sunny morning so bright that he had to stand there in the dusty street for a moment, blinking back what felt like shards of glass.

♦

Ezra was sitting in the saloon balefully nursing a glass of whisky when Nathan found him. The black man stood there by the table, hat in his hands, silent as if meekly waiting to be spoken to before he himself could speak. Waiting for his orders. Ezra quite despised him for a moment.

Then Nathan’s sudden demand shattered the imagined servility. ‘How dare you walk out on Delmore this morning? He needed your support.’

The sunlight streaming in through the saloon window was no comfort this afternoon. Ezra sighed; this was going to be tiresome. ‘I’m sure you were able to assist him, Mr. Jackson.’

‘My name is _Nathan_, Ezra.’ He almost spat the words.

‘Well, forgive me for being polite.’

‘I don’t want your politeness. I thought we had your friendship.’

‘Perhaps you were mistaken,’ Ezra informed him in careless tones. He glanced around the saloon, and was relieved to find no one in earshot. The bartender and the two other customers were holding a desultory conversation over fifteen feet away, and the noise from the busy street outside served to muffle the little that was happening inside.

When Ezra looked at his companion again, he found that Nathan was still staring down at him, and it seemed that Nathan’s anger was so deep it might never end.

‘I don’t know why I’m doing this, I don’t know why I’m asking again – but we could do with your help.’

‘Thank you,’ Ezra flatly responded, ‘but I don’t believe I should interest myself further in –’

‘Shut up for a minute, and hear me out.’

Ezra sat up straight in his chair. ‘I don’t let _anyone_ speak to me that way, Mr. Jackson, least of all a –’

Nathan supplied the words: ‘A black man?’

Much to his own chagrin, Ezra found that he couldn’t lift his gaze to meet Nathan’s. He did, however, manage to demand, ‘Who the hell are _you_ to hold _me_ in contempt?’

‘I’m a human being!’

‘And you fancy yourself a better one than me, I suppose.’

‘Sometimes,’ Nathan said with reluctance. ‘If I was being honest.’

‘Oh, by all means, let us be honest!’

‘I will _treat_ you like a human being, Ezra, whenever you behave like one.’

Ezra dryly retorted, ‘How magnanimous of you.’

The two men glowered at each other for a moment. And Ezra realized that perhaps Maude had a point: it was time to move on, though _not_ with her. He didn’t need her schemes, he could tread his own path. At that thought, something empty grew within Ezra’s narrow belly, something that ached, something that gnawed at him. He hoped it wasn’t related to the odd pang of loneliness that had almost gotten him into trouble with this very man…

Nathan repeated, quite gently this time, ‘Hear me out.’ When Ezra didn’t manage to summon a protest, Nathan pulled out a chair, sat himself down at the table, and continued: ‘This man, John Saunders, I’ve found out more about him. He’s been preying on black families leaving the South and moving west, he’s been doing it ever since the war. He helps them journey here, he arranges land for them, he sponsors them where they need it – and he mortgages their lives.’

‘Mr. Tye himself said it wasn’t a _large_ mortgage. Though,’ Ezra added, feeling foolish, ‘I suppose we’ve been raising rather a large amount as payment.’

‘It’s not the principal, it’s the interest rate and the conditions. Once they’ve signed the contract – and Delmore says it’s a legal contract – Saunders can do whatever he likes. And his victims aren’t the kind of people who have the power to do anything about it.’

Ezra nodded. ‘I understand. It’s quite a scheme.’

Nathan leaned forward, his elbows on the table. ‘He backs it up with violence, of course. North of here, he has a bad reputation. The bank manager is too scared to try buying out the mortgage. Delmore is at his wits’ end.’

That merited a humorless chuckle. ‘I realize that, but I fail to see how you think I can help.’ Nathan would have immediately replied, but Ezra held up an imperious hand. ‘I said it before, Mr. Jackson, but I will repeat myself as many times as necessary: I can no longer interest myself in this matter.’

‘But, Ezra –’

‘I’m sure you can manage just fine without me.’

Nathan pushed his chair back and stood. It seemed like he wanted to glower down at Ezra some more, but his face was ambushed by confusion and disappointment.

‘Good day, Mr. Jackson.’ Ezra poured himself another whisky and sat back in his chair.

‘_Really_, darling…’ It was Maude – who was developing a bad habit of turning up exactly when she wasn’t wanted. ‘Where are your manners? Where is your charity? I thought I brought you up better than that.’

Ezra was incapable of doing more than gaping up at his mother. Nathan seemed just as surprised.

Maude turned from one staring man to the other. ‘We are talking about that poor man at the bank this morning…? Mr. Jackson, I’m sure Ezra will be glad to help. And if there’s anything I can do, you just let me know.’

‘Mother…’ Ezra growled, trying to warn her off or perhaps ward her off.

It was apparent that Nathan was smart enough to mistrust her, too, but he said, ‘Thank you, Mrs Standish, I appreciate it. I’ll talk it over with Delmore.’ He politely nodded a farewell to Maude, then glanced down at Ezra, before leaving the saloon.

‘Exactly what are you up to, mother?’

‘Helping your friends,’ Maude airily replied as if there were nothing unusual about it.

‘_Why_, may one ask?’

‘Oh, when in Rome, darling…’ And she smiled at him beatifically, then sailed out of the saloon.

Ezra poured himself another whisky, and swallowed it down in one gulp.

♦

Far sooner than Ezra could have expected under the circumstances, everything became strangely tranquil. Delmore had returned to his horse ranch and his family. Maude had ventured off alone to seduce or inveigle or scam John Saunders out of the mortgage or at least enough money to cover Delmore’s commitments – she had explained as tactfully as possible that she could easily pass herself off as a fellow Southerner sympathetic to Saunders’ schemes against colored folk. The seven gunmen were to remain at the ready, so that Maude could summon some or all of them by telegram if necessary. For now, the Delmore Tye situation became merely a matter of waiting.

As for Nathan, it seemed that he’d decided he could approve of Ezra once more, and he treated Ezra as a friend. On the second night of Maude’s absence, Nathan even accompanied Ezra up to his hotel room again…

The two men were alone together before Ezra could force himself to think this through; and they were watching each other with licentious intent, even though not five minutes before Ezra would have protested that he could never let this happen.

‘Let me be curious, Ezra,’ Nathan began murmuring in that dark-honey voice of his. ‘Let me discover you.’ Gentle and inexorable, unbuttoning and unfastening; slipping the layers of Ezra’s clothes off so sensually that every caress served to reveal him further in more ways than one. ‘Let me be interested.’

Ezra grasped after his usual sardonic tones and asked, ‘Where did you learn to do this?’ For he had rarely before felt so thoroughly seduced.

‘I’m not inexperienced.’

The first touch of black hands slipping under cotton to find Ezra’s bare shoulders – the first touch _ever_ of such hands – and he shuddered. Surrendered.

‘Though I’ve only been with women,’ Nathan continued.

Which was exactly what Ezra had suspected. Which was why he hadn’t expected this profoundly knowledgeable physicality. And that reflection brought home to Ezra how frequently – and with what detail – he’d been fantasizing about this. Which urged him to give in to his friend all over again.

‘You’ll have to tell me what you want, Ezra. You’ll have to show me.’

Ezra was down to his undershirt by now, and he was too light-headed and weak-kneed to wait any longer – he tore himself away from those hands, but only so that he could collapse back across the bed. ‘You, Nathan,’ he said, gifting the man with the very last of his dignity; ‘I want you.’

And Nathan growled a little in lustful appreciation, dragged his own clothes off, and threw himself into Ezra’s welcoming embrace.

♦

Ezra felt delightfully sore and utterly content afterwards. Nathan’s gentleness had lasted only as long as it should have; once Ezra had made it clear that he wanted to be possessed, Nathan had not held himself back.

They lay there together now, Nathan having drifted off to sleep almost as soon as he’d curled up around Ezra, and Ezra thinking with some satisfaction about how improbable it had seemed that they would ever make each other happy.

The door was safely locked, so that this time there would be no intrusions. The two of them could spend hours consolidating the promise of this beginning. Maude would not approve, of course, but that consideration was actually more favorable to Ezra’s sense of satisfaction than not. Nathan would treat her politely, and leave all the wonderful storms and arguments to Ezra, even when she was at her cruelest –

The earlier evening when Maude had walked in on them, and pretended to assume that Nathan was Ezra’s servant. Abruptly, belatedly, Ezra caught at the implications of Nathan’s behavior. The man had been mortally offended, which was only to be expected – but he had silently walked out rather than stay and insult Ezra’s mother. Surely that demonstrated, as nothing else could, how much Nathan cared for Ezra’s good opinion.

‘What are you looking so smug about?’

Ah, Nathan was awake. Ezra shifted a little within the circle of those dark arms so that he could talk to the man more directly. ‘You,’ was all he said.

‘I like this,’ Nathan announced, stretching all of himself from his head to his toes, stretching and rubbing and lengthening against his lover, and looking just as contented as Ezra felt. ‘I like this very much. You want to know why?’

Ezra nodded.

‘You don’t talk as much in bed.’

_Oh! Incorrigible!_ Ezra shoved him away, half genuinely affronted and half pretending – Nathan gathered him up, laughing, pinned Ezra down against the rumpled sheets – and then Nathan was kissing him for the very first time, those full black lips generous and demanding all at once, that mouth as sweet as Nathan’s rare smile, as dark-honey-delicious as his voice.

‘We can talk now,’ Ezra announced when he was able.

‘What about?’

‘What about?’ Ezra repeated with a hint of mockery. ‘What about that lovely filly you left behind at the Seminole village? Didn’t she promise to wait for you?’

Nathan dulled a little, which hadn’t been Ezra’s intention at all. ‘I visited her a couple of times,’ he explained. ‘It wasn’t going to work out. I released her from the promise.’

‘I see,’ said Ezra. ‘And what about Yvette Tye? You liked her, didn’t you?’

‘Yvette?’ Nathan frowned. ‘Sure, she’s beautiful; but she already has more attention than she wants.’

_So much for the competition_. Ezra offered Nathan a delicately persistent caress until he had the man’s full attention again. ‘Then what about us?’

‘What _about_ us?’ Nathan asked carefully.

‘I’d just as soon we settled things between us before people find out.’

‘No one’s going to find out,’ Nathan replied. ‘No one knows I’m here tonight, and I’m not gonna tell anyone. Not even Josiah.’

‘But sooner or later, people are going to guess.’

Nathan just looked at him. ‘I didn’t know we were considering _later_, Ezra.’

‘Oh.’ _Oh, Lord!_ ‘Well, of course we weren’t.’ _You FOOL, Ezra!_

‘Were you?’ Nathan prompted.

‘No. No. Of course not.’ This was horrible, absolutely horrible. Ezra had never miscalculated this badly before.

‘You’re always working an angle, Ezra. What are you working on me?’

‘Uh.’ He had to think, and fast, when thinking was the last thing he had expected to be doing right now. ‘You were interested,’ he managed. ‘I figured I’d take advantage of your gratitude.’ It wasn’t much, but it would do. ‘This problem of Mr. Tye’s – there was a hundred dollars in it for me, and now a night of pleasure…’ That was so damned weak, but Nathan was watching him without a hint of suspicion. ‘So, make it worth my while, Mr. Jackson.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ Nathan murmured, beginning to nibble and bite at Ezra’s throat. The man was shifting against him, flesh against flesh, his interest obviously renewing.

‘Can’t ask for more than that,’ Ezra muttered in reply. The wantonness was rising through him again, promising to swamp the sparks of bitterness, at least for a little while; and Ezra decided that the easiest route was to give in to sensation.

♦

Their second coupling had been quite rough, which Ezra had no objections to. The tenderness with which Nathan held him afterwards would have been everything he’d ever secretly hoped for if Nathan himself hadn’t already destroyed Ezra’s moronic illusions. Again, Nathan slipped into peaceful sleep, while Ezra lay awake. Long hours passed.

In the dim light of dawn, Nathan finally stirred. He eased away from his embrace of Ezra, then sat up, and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He glanced back, and saw that Ezra was watching him. ‘I’d better go,’ Nathan whispered, ‘before anyone else starts waking up.’

‘Yes.’

The man bent over to reach for his clothes on the floor, and the light from the window slid fitfully across Nathan’s broad back. Ezra stared at the darkness of the skin for a moment, wishing it otherwise; then watched the more desirable play of masculine muscle as Nathan sorted garment from garment. And then Ezra noticed the scars, old scars, even darker than the skin, crossing back and forth in random brutality – the ex-slave had once survived a harsh whipping. Ezra wondered what Nathan had done to earn such punishment. Something noble and utterly foolish, no doubt. Ezra quite despised the man. He turned away and closed his eyes while Nathan finished dressing. His own scars were far more honorably won.

‘I’ll see you later,’ Nathan said at last. ‘Ezra?’

Ezra glanced up at the man, mute and impatient, as if wanting only to return to sleep.

‘Thank you.’ Nathan grasped Ezra’s shoulder with a friendly hand.

Huddling up alone under the covers, Ezra listened to Nathan pad across the room in his socks, and let himself out. When the door closed quietly behind the man, Ezra sighed, and finally relaxed. _Well_, he thought with as much wryness as he could muster, _so much for curiosity_. It was past nine o’clock before Ezra finally fell asleep.

♦

## Part Four

♦

Ezra sat at his usual table in the saloon, staring morosely at his nip of whisky. The sunshine that afternoon was as dull as his mood. The pack of cards lay on the green baize, gathering dust. It seemed that – once more – no one wanted to lose any money to him today, and to be frank he couldn’t be bothered with anything more than just sitting there anyway. It was obviously time to leave this benighted place behind.

A shadow fell across the table; and Ezra slowly looked up to see Chris Larabee, young J.D., and Nathan all looming over him. Their expressions were uniformly disapproving.

‘Gentlemen,’ Ezra greeted them.

Chris had a telegram in his hand. He said, ‘This just came in, addressed to you.’

Ezra’s lips twisted into a smile. It had obviously been read by the deliverers, with no respect for the privacy of his communications. In sarcastic tones, Ezra asked, ‘Well, would you care to tell me its contents?’

Chris read it out: _this venture brought us more than expected stop meet me at phoenix on the tenth as agreed to split the proceeds stop with love from your mother stop_

He let the yellow square of paper slowly fall to the table. ‘What do you say to that, Ezra?’

‘As a lady, she does not stoop to abbreviate.’

Nathan growled at the attempted humor. ‘She went to Saunders, to win his money for Delmore. Are you telling us that you and Maude planned to keep the money for yourselves all along? That you’re running out on us? That you don’t care if Delmore and his family are ruined?’

‘No,’ Ezra patiently replied; ‘that is what my mother is telling you.’

Chris asked, ‘You had nothing to do with this?’

‘No, I didn’t.’

Nathan couldn’t contain himself. ‘Then why would she send you the telegram? Why not just run off and keep all the money for herself?’ He obviously found it easy to assume the worst of Ezra. So much for friendship.

It all seemed perfectly clear to Ezra, though. He didn’t care enough anymore to bother with a lie. ‘She is trying to disentangle me from a situation that she sees as… undesirable.’ And he dared a glance at Nathan, who promptly became embarrassed and angry – but who also seemed to start believing in Ezra’s innocence again.

‘Why should we trust what you say?’ J.D. asked indignantly, even though it was evident that Chris was coming around, too, convinced by such an obvious motivation. ‘You and Mrs Standish are cut from the same cloth.’

Ezra sighed. He really should leave this town. It had been far too long a stay, and everything had gotten far too complicated. Not that he would go find Maude – in fact, if he never saw her again, it would be too soon. Though why he should feel hurt and betrayed was beyond him – it was naive to expect her own son to be exempt from her devious schemes.

‘I don’t much care if you believe me or not,’ Ezra announced. ‘But I will right this wrong regardless.’ He reached into his left boot for his roll of bank notes. He might as well cut his losses, and start afresh somewhere else. ‘How much does Mr. Tye still require to make both payments?’

Nathan told him.

Another sigh, though a more resigned one this time. There went virtually all of Ezra’s savings towards his dream of owning a saloon… Never mind. He would move on, harden his heart, and make the money back within a matter of weeks.

Nathan took the money with compassion on his face. ‘Thank you, Ezra.’

He nodded politely, and stood. ‘Good day, gentlemen.’ And, with no further farewell, Ezra went to pack his bags.

♦

Ezra shouldn’t have been surprised by the knock on the door. Of course Nathan had followed him here to his hotel room; it was a habit Ezra would be glad to break. He didn’t call ‘Enter’, but Nathan opened the door anyway, peered in, and then came inside when he saw Ezra. There were two bags on the bed, neatly packed with the few things that Ezra wanted least to lose.

‘You’re leaving?’ Nathan said.

‘You were always one for stating the obvious, Mr. Jackson.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know. I used to think it was because you lacked subtlety or sophistication, but I was mistaken. Maybe it’s because, of the seven of us, you are the most direct.’

Nathan grimaced at him, impatient. ‘You know that’s not what I meant.’

Ezra nodded, and did Nathan the courtesy of giving him a straight answer. It hardly mattered anymore. ‘Mother was right about one thing: I’m too enmeshed here. It’s time to move on.’

‘So that’s what your life is going to be? Always moving on, never having a home? Never a family, or friends, or loved ones?’

He cast Nathan a sardonic look, then returned to folding his best jacket. ‘I’m not made for raising families, Mr. Jackson, as you well know.’

‘It’s a pity, in a way,’ Nathan reflected. ‘You’re so good with children.’

‘It has been said that is because I myself never grew up.’

Nathan didn’t laugh as he was supposed to. Instead he considered Ezra very seriously for a moment, and then said, ‘I think we should talk about what happened between us.’

Ezra fastened each bag, and slipped on his red coat. ‘I don’t,’ he said succinctly.

‘I didn’t understand that night –’

‘Of course not. You hadn’t had the experience.’ Ezra smiled at him frostily. ‘That’s all I have time for, Mr. Jackson.’

But Nathan backed up against the door, barring his way, knowing that Ezra wouldn’t touch him and therefore couldn’t force his way past. ‘I’m not so ignorant,’ Nathan said. ‘I served in the Union Army, remember. There were men who sought comfort with each other. There was little enough to be had elsewhere.’

‘Comfort?’ Ezra drawled. ‘Such interactions have rarely brought me comfort, Mr. Jackson. I do believe we are talking about two entirely different things.’

But Nathan was persisting: ‘I didn’t understand what you wanted, Ezra.’

That earned him a humorless chuckle and an insinuating remark: ‘Oh, believe me, you learned quickly enough.’

‘You know that’s not what I meant!’ Nathan glared at him. ‘Why do you insist on misunderstanding me?’

‘You want the truth?’ Ezra cried out. He immediately subsided; but Nathan just stood there, waiting, expectant, as if he were used to hearing the truth every day. Ezra had already assessed, quite dispassionately, what had happened. And he was leaving now, so it hardly mattered if he explained it to Nathan. If that was the price of being allowed to go free. ‘I’d never invited a black man into my bed before,’ Ezra said, simple and direct; ‘I’d never even thought to. You know what my attitudes were, and now you know what I enjoy, so you can guess why. For you to clear that hurdle, I had to feel something more than lust.’

‘Ezra –’

‘While you, of course, were simply curious. At most, you felt friendship.’

‘But I didn’t know –’

‘Of course not. Why should you?’ Ezra took a purposeful step towards the door. ‘I’m leaving now, Nathan.’

‘No. Not like this.’

Ezra regarded the man for a long moment, and then called on his sardonic tones. ‘Don’t flatter yourself. There was no angle to be worked in feeling that way, not once the night’s pleasures were past. It dwindled to nothing soon enough.’

‘I don’t believe you.’

‘Really.’ Ezra laughed, though it probably sounded strained to Nathan. ‘Then you know me far better than I know myself.’

_‘Do you really want me to let you go?’_

The challenge hung in the air between them, growing larger and more threatening as each moment dragged by, like a thundercloud looming over them, lightning about to crack down –

‘Mr. Standish!’ There was a pounding at the door; another desperate cry. ‘Mr. Standish! Nathan!’

Ezra had already sagged in relief. It was Delmore Tye.

Startled, Nathan had moved away from the door, half-turned towards it. Ezra stepped crisply past him, opened it up. ‘Come in, Mr. Tye. I believe that Mr. Jackson has your money. I wish you both well.’ And he was safely out in the corridor, bags in hand. One stride, two. He was free of this place.

‘Wait! Mr. Standish, please. You don’t understand.’

‘Oh, I think I do,’ he cheerfully called back. A third stride, a fourth. A fresh start beckoned from just around the corner.

‘Ezra…’ Nathan said, voice rough with what sounded suspiciously like grief and frustration.

‘But, Mr. Standish!’ Delmore hollered. ‘John Saunders – he’s taken Yvette.’

Everything paused. Much to his own annoyance, Ezra found that he himself had paused. He slowly turned back around to stare at Delmore, to see Nathan staring in horror at Delmore. A brief memory surfaced of the beautiful dark princess and her thoroughly smitten fiancé, a brief vision of all the blue-eyed, coffee-colored, red-haired children they’d have…

‘Oh Lord,’ Ezra grumbled, ‘so much for freedom.’

♦

The seven gunmen saddled up and rode north into the next County: Chris and Vin, Buck and J.D., Nathan and Josiah, and Ezra. There were times when the directness of brute force was an excellent response to the actions of scoundrels. They left behind a furious Delmore and a fearful Charles Baden, figuring that the two men and their personal interests would only complicate the situation.

They reached Saunders’ house late that afternoon, to find it deserted. The man might have things his own way in this region, but apparently even he didn’t have the gall to hold a kidnapped girl there.

‘What do we do now?’ J.D. asked as their horses milled about. ‘How do we find her?’

‘We ask for directions,’ Chris replied.

With suitably dramatic timing, a man appeared from around the back of the house – almost leaping a mile when he saw he had company. ‘What the –’

Chris interrupted him with his fiercest glower. ‘Where’s John Saunders?’

‘Uh –’

‘We have business with him. Urgent business.’

‘He ain’t here.’

In his deceptively reasonable tones, Vin said, ‘We can see that.’

But all of this only seemed to provoke the man to stubbornness. ‘I wouldn’t tell you even if I _did_ know where he was!’

‘Well, that’s a damn shame,’ Chris commented. He gazed off into the distance for a moment, his blue eyes pensive, as if considering something. Then he seemed to come to a decision. ‘Nathan. Sharpen your knives.’

‘My pleasure,’ Nathan replied, dismounting. He let a pause grow – and then, quicker than the eye could see, Nathan whipped two knives out of their holsters between his shoulder blades. A whetstone was produced from a hip pocket, and Nathan began sliding a blade down it, producing the most chilling sound.

Saunders’ man was just standing there gaping at Nathan, so Vin and Buck took advantage of the situation and got him strung up between two verandah posts.

Ezra let out a wry laugh, and addressed their trussed-up victim. ‘You’re lucky, sir.’

‘Let me down, you godforsaken bastards!’ the man hollered.

‘You’re very lucky,’ Ezra continued, ‘because Nathan is a medical man. He knows exactly how to hurt you –’ Ezra let that sink in for a moment. ‘– but he can sew you up good as new afterwards.’

Nathan just kept scraping those knives down the whetstone, his expression oddly soulless.

‘Listen to that!’ Ezra said appreciatively. There was nothing but the blade on the stone. ‘It’s enough to curdle your marrow, isn’t it?’

‘Let me down, I said!’ But the man sounded far less confident now.

Ezra slowly slid his coat off his left arm, unbuttoned his cuff, and rolled his shirtsleeve up. ‘See what he did to me?’ Ezra displayed the inside of his forearm, where an old scar ran from elbow to wrist, as straight and deadly as an arrow. ‘He did this, even though I’m his friend. But Nathan caught me cheating at cards…’

The man was endeavoring not to be terrified.

‘He only let me lose a pint of blood before he sewed me back up again.’

Josiah intoned, ‘Our friend Nathan surely has a righteous anger.’

Nathan slipped the whetstone away, and stepped purposefully up to the verandah, coming up behind the man, who was twisting and turning in the ropes.

‘He has another house down near the lake! That’s where he is, I swear it!’

‘How do we find it?’ Chris asked.

‘Follow this road for a mile, then head east down the river valley.’ The man was still twisting around, trying to spy Nathan where he loomed in the shadows behind him. ‘Call him off! I swear to you that’s where Mr. Saunders is.’

‘All right,’ Chris agreed. ‘But if I find out you’re lying, I’ll send Nathan back. Alone.’

Nathan slipped his knives away, and walked casually back to his horse; and the seven of them wheeled about, ready to ride.

‘You can’t just leave me tied up here!’

They headed off at a trot, speeding up to a canter as soon as they were all on the road.

Once they were out of earshot, Chris called to Vin, ‘How long before he gets free?’

‘An hour, maybe two. Didn’t fix him too tight.’

Chris nodded grimly, and set the pace to a gallop.

♦

Vin had scouted ahead, so Ezra knew what to expect when he rode alone round to the back of Saunders’ house. Saunders and Yvette were seated at opposite ends of a table with a meal laid out in formal splendor before them – a scene that belonged in a fancy dining room, but which appeared both charming and incongruous when framed by a lake.

As Ezra intruded on the tableau, two thugs came out of the little house brandishing shotguns. They didn’t warn him off, however; and when he was close enough, Ezra simply dismounted and handed the reins to one of the lackeys. He sauntered down to the alfresco dining area. ‘Mr. Saunders, I presume?’

Yvette was staring up at him, carefully not reacting, wise girl that she was. Ezra noted that her food was untouched, as if her policy had been complete non-cooperation.

‘Who wants to know?’ Saunders scowled. ‘We’ve met before, haven’t we?’

‘Yes, sir. Ezra Standish, at your service. Perhaps you can assist me… I’m looking for my mother –’

‘That she-wolf!’

‘Ah. Obviously you’ve made her acquaintance.’

‘Matilda, yes? She cleaned me out and moved on days ago. You won’t find her here, and if you did you’d have to stand in line to deal with her. She’s probably living it up in San Francisco by now.’

Ezra glanced around as if admiring the scenery – which was indeed attractive, what with the lake and the plentiful green of trees and grass. The two thugs had relaxed, though they hadn’t gone back inside.

‘I can see,’ Ezra commented, indicating the lovely Yvette, ‘that you’ve won yourself some less tricky companionship.’

Saunders looked at Yvette with pride and yearning. ‘She’s a beauty, ain’t she?’

‘A princess.’ Ezra took his hat off, signaling the other six gunmen. ‘Far too good for _you_, Mr. Saunders.’

‘What?’ Dimly comprehending outrage. Saunders appeared to belatedly recall that he’d first met Ezra at the Tye house. ‘What!’

‘I wouldn’t even wish my mother on you, sir. Yvette,’ and Ezra held his hand out to her, ‘let us leave this dismal man.’

She stood, and walked calmly towards him, which required a store of bravery he’d known he could rely on.

Saunders was up, his chair knocked over in his haste, reaching for his gun.

The thugs were only a moment behind him, leaping down from the verandah and running forward a few paces, taking aim.

And then the rest of the seven – Chris and Vin, Buck and J.D., Nathan and Josiah – all stepped forward, melting out of the surrounding trees like spirits turning to flesh.

Checkmate.

Yvette reached Ezra’s side, and he took her hand, partly for reassurance and partly so she’d stay close if he needed to move fast.

‘What now, Mr. Saunders?’ Ezra asked. ‘You’re sadly out-matched. Why don’t you let us walk out of here? That way, you get to walk out of here, too.’

A tense moment. Saunders looked around him. There was no need to calculate the odds. At last he reluctantly said, ‘All right.’

Ezra nodded politely. ‘Always a pleasure doing business with a gentleman.’ Nevertheless, he was careful to back away, keeping an eye on Saunders and the thugs. Yvette followed him, trustingly holding his hand and turning away from the men who’d kidnapped her.

So she didn’t see the outrage that abruptly returned to Saunders’ face. But Ezra did. He drew his gun, while starting to swing Yvette around behind him.

Everything slowed down. Ezra feared he wouldn’t be able to shield her in time. Saunders was drawing; staring at Yvette with rage and sheer cussed meanness. If he couldn’t have her…

A shot blasted from behind Ezra – Nathan.

Saunders went down to one knee.

Everything sped up again, and Ezra was firing towards Saunders for the sake of cover, hoping someone else was taking care of the thugs, while hustling Yvette behind him back into the shelter of the trees. The exchange of gunshots was deafening. The lake-fresh air smelled of cordite.

And then it was over.

Saunders was lying there, dead or dying. The dining table was destroyed. One of the thugs was injured, the other had surrendered. And Yvette was safe.

‘Oh, Mr. Standish…’ she murmured.

He quickly snaked an arm round her waist to support her. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘No… No. Just –’

‘Shocked? Of course. You’ve never been in the middle of a gunfight before.’

‘No.’

Nathan had come up, and was looking her over with discreet professionalism. ‘Are you all right, Miss Tye?’

‘Yes,’ she said this time, standing firmer now. She didn’t move away from Ezra’s support, though.

Which Ezra didn’t mind – not only was she so beautiful that even an invert could appreciate her, but it meant he needn’t involve himself in the clean-up. He smiled reassuringly at Yvette, and tightened his arm round her lovely waist.

♦

The seven gunmen and Yvette first saw Delmore and Baden while they were still three miles out of town – the two men had apparently ridden out to meet them, or join them, no doubt having been too worried to sit still for long.

Delmore and Baden rode up at a gallop. Delmore reined in his horse – stopped it on a dime – only moments before he actually crashed right into his friends. He leapt off his mount, and ran. ‘Yvette!’

She’d been riding behind Ezra, astride his horse, with her arms wound round him… The rest of the seven – except Nathan, of course, and maybe Josiah – had been assuming Ezra was partial to this woman, and had made at least half a conquest. J.D. looked at him with pity as Ezra helped Yvette slip down to the ground. She only had time for a step or two before Delmore was there and she almost fell into his arms.

The seven surrounded them, and came to a halt, content to watch this reunion as their reward for the adventure.

‘Did they hurt you?’ Delmore asked in a hoarse whisper, face buried in her bounteous dark hair. ‘Did they touch you?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘No.’

Delmore hugged her even harder for a moment – ‘God be praised!’ – and then he turned to Baden, a question on his face.

But Baden only had eyes for his lovely Yvette. When he realized the Tye family were waiting on his response, though, Baden said, ‘I’m glad for your sake that you’re not hurt, of course. But for my sake,’ he added fiercely – ‘I’m marrying you, no matter what happened.’

And Delmore let Yvette loose, and she was in Baden’s arms, and he was passionately kissing her, and she was giving as good as she got. Everyone looked on fondly, while J.D. and Buck cast commiserating glances Ezra’s way. Ezra put on his most inscrutable face and gazed off somewhere else.

Of course, Yvette rode with Baden on the way back to town. Oddly enough, Ezra felt quite bereft.

♦

## Part Five

♦

Delmore asked to talk in private with Ezra and Nathan, and for once they all ended up back at Nathan’s boarding house room. It was a far humbler place than Ezra’s hotel, of course, though pleasant enough in a simple way. Unfortunately it was dominated by a large bed with invitingly white cotton sheets, and iron railings at the head and foot; Ezra couldn’t help but remember the time when he had in all innocence lain in that bed feigning consumption with Nathan tending to him, all for the sake of scaring off a couple of thugs…

Fearing he might betray himself under the influence of the recollection and its current implications, Ezra tried to distract his thoughts by listening to Delmore’s concerns. The monotonous litany of despair was hardly worthy of his attention, however. Ezra forced himself to focus. Apparently the late Mr. Saunders’ people couldn’t locate the mortgage on Delmore’s property. It wasn’t in the house with the man’s other legal papers. It wasn’t with his lawyer. Delmore himself had ridden back and forth throughout the County, pleading with half the population – and, from the sound of it, searching every nook and cranny and filing cabinet that anyone would let him near.

‘Maybe it’s lost,’ Nathan suggested, ‘or destroyed. Maybe you won’t have to worry about it ever again.’

‘Maybe,’ Delmore agreed. ‘But I _do_ worry. I don’t like not knowing what to expect.’

‘Did Saunders say anything to Yvette about it?’

‘Nothing that’d help us find it.’

Nathan mused, ‘Who’d have thought a piece of paper could cause all this trouble?’

Delmore didn’t look impressed by this reflection.

Ezra sighed, and wandered over to one of the many windows. Nathan’s room was light and airy, and commanded almost every view there was to be had, but it must get cold at night with all this glass. A man would need something to warm him – Ezra sternly halted that line of thought.

Despite all Nathan’s attempts at reassurance, Delmore was still fretting. Pondering the situation, Ezra couldn’t help but suspect some mischief on his mother’s part. He wasn’t about to raise the notion with the others, though – and he couldn’t think what Maude would want with a smallish mortgage for land in a no-account County anyway, no matter how favorable the terms were…

‘Ezra?’ Nathan said from behind him. ‘Ezra, tell me. Are you leaving, or not?’

Looking about him, Ezra belatedly realized that Delmore had already gone and that he, Ezra, was now alone with Nathan. ‘I’m sorry.’ He picked up his hat. ‘A gentleman should know better than to outstay his welcome.’

Nathan was all dark eyes, and hands on hips, and impatience. ‘I meant the town. Are you leaving town? You were all packed and walking out the door, before the business with Yvette.’

‘And I am _still_ packed,’ Ezra murmured. He had been living out of his bags ever since, unwilling to resettle himself though he was of course residing in his long-familiar hotel room. He felt torn in two – which no doubt signified that he should move on. Even so, Ezra had to admit there was a part of him, an alarmingly calm part of him, that simply knew he would stay. Which meant that he really should move on _now_.

‘So,’ Nathan persisted, ‘will you stay?’

Startled, Ezra asked, ‘Is that an invitation?’

‘Yes.’

‘No,’ he answered. ‘No. I don’t know.’

Nathan was drawing deliberately closer. Ezra took a wary step towards the door. But it was already too late. Lustful abandon welled within him, weakening his will and his knees. _In extremis_ he said, ‘I used to think you a man of honor, Mr. Jackson –’

‘Honor matters to you,’ Nathan observed tangentially and happily and quite mistakenly.

‘– but if you were a gentleman, you would not take advantage.’

‘But I think you want me to.’

‘To take advantage of me?’ Ezra repeated, made inane by Nathan’s unexpected astuteness. ‘No. No.’

‘Those light eyes of yours,’ Nathan said, stepping inexorably closer while Ezra moved away, ‘those eyes catch fire in moments like this. With people you can trust, I think you enjoy having to surrender.’

‘You’re misinterpreting –’

‘No, I’m not. And you can trust me.’ Then his conversation changed direction though his path didn’t. ‘You were honest with me, Ezra, before you walked out. You gave me the truth about what happened between us.’

‘If you believed what I said, then you’re more gullible than I –’ Another interruption, though this time benign: Ezra found himself backed up against the closed door. He was left with no defense sturdier than his felt hat, the brim clutched in each hand at waist level, and the crown ineffectually warding Nathan off. ‘– than even I took you for.’

‘You’ve changed, Ezra. You didn’t avoid the question, and you didn’t lie to me.’

‘I thought one was supposed to be appreciated for who one was, not for who one might become.’

‘I like who you are, partly because of who you were. Isn’t that enough for you? I never figured you for a romantic, Ezra.’

‘You don’t know _what_ I am!’ Ezra protested. He stood taller against the door, forcing his knees to bear his weight with more dignity than they’d shown until now. Then, in more reasonable tones, Ezra continued, ‘You are curious about a brave and honest man; a man who can become better than he was. I never claimed to be any of those things.’

‘You don’t do yourself justice.’ And Nathan was upon him then, mouth on his mouth kissing him, and Ezra’s poor hat was crushed between them, and he found that he didn’t give a damn. The sense of panic and refusal surged for a moment, but then quickly lost ground to the hunger. Dear Lord above, Ezra wanted this. Maude and the rest of the world might never understand. Ezra himself might never understand. But, yes, he wanted this.

Together they stumbled towards Nathan’s bed.

♦

Afterwards Nathan fell asleep as it seemed he was wont to do. Ezra lay there deep in the man’s embrace, feeling too warm, but too lazy to move. He gazed for a while at those dark brown arms encircling him, and their bold contrast to his own paleness, but he sought in vain for a reaction of horror or disgust or even superiority. Foreignness had somehow slowly become… unthreatening. Familiar. Interesting. God help him, desirable. He wondered if that was how it had been for Nathan as he considered the strangeness of Ezra’s preferences.

Ezra shifted impatiently, nudged Nathan hard with an elbow, and didn’t bother dissembling about the matter. Nathan blinked awake, and Ezra demanded, ‘Is _that_ all you’re capable of? It was pleasant enough, of course, but I was expecting rather more…’

Nathan stared at him for a moment, and then abruptly broke into a grin. He laughed his dark-honey-rich laugh. And within moments he was moving over Ezra, already as needy as he should be. Ezra’s hands hungrily skimmed that dark skin, exploring the strong body; it was built taller and slightly bulkier than his own, which was exactly how he liked a lover’s body to be.

‘That’s better,’ Ezra managed to dryly comment before he was required to surrender to sensation. As Nathan had already observed, damn him, Ezra liked it that way. He liked it exactly that way.

♦

The dowry had been offered, and much to his chagrin Baden Senior had found himself honor-bound to agree to the match. Meeting Yvette for the first time had halfway reconciled him, of course. Meeting the coffee-colored Darby soon thereafter hadn’t helped matters, though – the boy was too confronting a reminder of what Baden’s own grandchildren would be. But Darby’s innocence and intelligence and charm soon won the old man over; and the ex-preacher Josiah had made various more-or-less successful attempts to complete the reconciliation.

Yvette Tye and Charles Baden were to be married in town, with the seven gunmen all invited to attend. Josiah obtained himself a civil marriage license from Judge Travis so that he could perform the ceremony and ensure it was legally binding. Almost everyone had gotten involved, unable to resist the happy-ever-after aspects of the tale; Mary Travis, a paragon of organization, insisted on being allowed to arrange the reception, which was to be held in the hotel’s dining room.

There had been some hints of Ezra being asked to give the bride away, but (while flattered) he immediately quashed such talk – that was Delmore’s role, and the young man would be proud to finally do the deed after all the tribulations they’d encountered on the way to the altar.

Meanwhile, with assistance from Nathan and Vin and Ezra, Delmore had gotten his ranch functioning at twice the former capacity. There would always be a demand for well-trained horses in these parts, and Delmore certainly was a wizard with them.

In fact, but for the mystery of the missing mortgage, the Tye family were as happy as they deserved to be. Which was to say, they were ecstatic.

In a calmer way, Nathan seemed happy, too. Leastwise, he was rarely seen without a smile these days. Insatiably curious, J.D. commented on it occasionally, oblivious to Ezra’s quelling glares. Josiah would make deliberately innocent remarks in response that somehow always managed to ambush J.D. and take him away down another path of inquiry…

Life was continuing, and most people in and around the town seemed quite satisfied that it be so.

♦

The wedding day dawned fair and bright. Ezra woke early, as he always did when they slept in Nathan’s room. Nathan was still asleep, of course, snoring contentedly, and completely encompassing Ezra in order to ward the cold night air away. Ezra tried for a moment to feel smothered, but he was too satisfied to be restless. He had no idea whether such a strange state of affairs could possibly continue for long.

Yvette Tye and Charles Baden seemed to have no such doubts about their own future.

The only matter that threatened to mar the day, or perhaps to spice it up – yes, Ezra was pleased to note, this definitely felt like a case of spicing up – was Nathan’s discovery that Ezra had been taking wagers on whether the wedding would actually occur. There had been a lot of people in town who were certain that Baden Senior would find some way of not honoring his end of the deal. It seemed only right that this lack of faith served the noble cause of restarting Ezra’s saloon fund.

Nathan’s disgust with him only made Ezra laugh. He commented in significant tones, ‘Some things never change.’

‘Apparently not,’ Nathan replied, disapproval verging perilously close to anger.

But it didn’t take too long for the man to soften again: the ceremony obviously appealed to Nathan’s sentimentality; and by the time he’d partaken of apple pie and cream at the reception, along with two glasses of a cool, sweet white wine, then he was smiling again. ‘You’d better give them one hell of a nice present, Ezra,’ he warned, though.

‘I will,’ Ezra promised, much to Nathan’s surprise. ‘Come with me while I give it them. And bring young Delmore with you.’

With Delmore, Yvette, Charles, Lianna and Darby gathered around him and Nathan, Ezra held out a piece of paper folded neatly in three. ‘I do believe you’ve been looking for this, Mr. Tye.’

Amid squeals of joy from the womenfolk and cheers from Darby, Delmore gaped – and then he suddenly reached for the mortgage as if unable to quite believe his eyes. ‘Mr. Standish, sir… Where on God’s good Earth…’

Nathan cut in with a severe, ‘You didn’t have it all along, Ezra?’

‘Of course not. My sainted mother had it; I received the document in the mail that arrived yesterday.’

‘But, sir –’

‘It’s an apology,’ Nathan decided. ‘She’s sorry for running out on us.’

Ezra had to laugh at that. ‘Good Lord, Nathan, let me disoblige you of such a ludicrous notion.’

‘A gesture of goodwill?’

‘Goodwill? My mother doesn’t know the meaning of the word.’

Yvette asked, ‘Then how do you explain it?’

‘Her ostensible reason, Mrs Baden, was that she always planned to split the proceeds of her little adventure with me, and she felt fair was fair, this is my share. Perhaps she felt a mortgage wasn’t as easy or lucrative a business as she’d like to deal with. But, no matter –’ Ezra gave a brief but elegant bow. ‘– the thing is yours now.’

As Delmore stared dumbstruck at the paper in his hands, the words of Maude’s accompanying note returned to haunt Ezra: _Well, son, I hope you don’t come to regret staying as much as I regret you not joining me. Remember that we are judged by our friends as well as our enemies_. Ezra sighed, and tried not to think too hard about Maude’s opinion of the company he was keeping these days.

Eventually Delmore seemed to come to a decision – and he held the mortgage out to Ezra. ‘No, sir, I think it’s yours. And we’ll honor it. Whatever terms you care to set.’

Ezra took it back, and Nathan stared at him worriedly. The women and Baden all held their breath.

‘Begging your pardon, Mr. Standish, sir, but your mother was wrong; this is a good investment. You can profit off our ranch, and I know you’ll do so like the reasonable man you are.’

Ezra wished he could laugh at that, but to tell the truth, he was too flabbergasted. The tense moment held. ‘I thank you,’ he eventually said. ‘But there can be only one course of action available to a gentleman in this situation.’

And Ezra tore the mortgage up into several pieces, and rained legal confetti over the bride and groom. It seemed as if the whole town cheered him.

♦

The afternoon passed pleasantly enough. There was more apple pie and good cheer; and there was Darby sitting on Ezra’s lap, gaping at the tall tale Ezra spun of how his uncle Del and his uncle Charles had nobly rescued Yvette from the dastardly Saunders and his band of villains. And there was Nathan…

Nathan just would not quit happily smiling; and seeing the man divide his smiles equally between Ezra himself, and the Badens and Tyes, Ezra tried to discreetly warn him off.

‘Does it matter?’ Nathan murmured once Darby had finally run off to play with Mary’s son Billy. The two men were left alone together amidst the crowd. ‘People will find out about us, sooner or later.’

‘I didn’t know we were considering _later_,’ Ezra returned, as he was expected to, his heart doing strange but not necessarily unwelcome things such as lifting and fluttering.

Nathan just smiled at him some more.

‘Well, if you’re going to persist, Mr. Jackson, let’s not be _excessively_ obvious. You had better leave this party behind and accompany me.’

‘Where are we going?’ Nathan asked as he promptly followed Ezra out into the street.

‘As you witnessed, Mr. and Mrs Baden were just married. I believe we should help consummate the union.’

‘Uh… isn’t that Charles and Yvette’s privilege?’

Ezra glanced at him with a roguish grin, deliberately favoring Nathan with a sparkle in his eyes. ‘There’s no harm in compounding the deed. One has to make sure these rituals are celebrated properly.’

‘Thoroughly, even,’ Nathan supplied, his smile broadening.

‘Indeed, sir. I believe we understand each other.’ And they walked off towards Ezra’s hotel, side by side.

♦


End file.
